Maelstorms in NY
by wyvern97
Summary: The gods of the many worlds and dimensions meet every 1000 years. Some become allies while others become enemies. Poseidon is in trouble and does not want a war so he contacts Paladin for help. Andrew and Naruto are now dragged into a world with no memory of the power they possess. Mostly follows book but with added characters. MOSTLY RICK RIORDAN AND KISHIMOTO! ANDREW IS ONLY OC!
1. Prologue

One day in the Forest of Death we find the newly formed Team 8 was training with their sensei Anko Mitarashi. Doing evasion training.

Now training with Anko is different than it would with any other Jounin. With a sensei like Kakashi they'd do the basics. With Anko, she would take things to the extreme. She'd have you stand on a 7 ft log with poisonous snakes on the ground and is throwing weapon after weapon at you and you'd have to dodge all of them without falling off the log.

They have done this training for 3 hours now and was getting ready to head home after the hard training.

"Alright team we'll meet here again tomorrow morning at 7:00 am sharp. See ya!" She Shunshined out of there and the boys walked to Ichiraku's Ramen stand.

"One Miso Ramen, with a Pork Ramen on the side please/One beef ramen with dango as well." Naruto and Andrew ordered from their favorite, and truth be told, only eatery, Ichiraku Ramen. The two chefs' here, Teuchi and his daughter Ayame, smiled and warmly took their order. They both cared for them quite a lot, not only as a people, but as 50 percent of their annual income. In fact, both paid for their TV, Phone and the rent on both their shop and their house each month.

"Gotcha, Naruto-Kun." Ayame chuckled

Within minutes the food was prepared and handed to them. "Ikademasu!" Both ate with gusto. Naruto was shoveling the noodles into his mouth while Andrew ate his food more properly but at a faster than usual pace.

"Yo Naruto how's your training in your bloodline?" Andrew asked

He finished his first bowl and grabbed the second one. "It's going great I learned quite a few Genjutsu from Kojoro and I invented one myself called **Chiron's Ferry** though it's still a work in progress. How bout you?"

"I've been increasing my jutsu arsenal. I have few taijutsu for it by my ninjutsu is high and genjutsu is average. The most renown and dangerous techniques from my mother's clan are**Bōkyaku no pōtaru **and **Shadow style: Field of Binding Shadows**. I got those and some forbidden ones from Paladin sama which are immensely powerful but draining."

"Namikaze Andrew, Uzumaki Naruto!" They turned around to find Sasuke and Sakura behind them.

"Teme, what the hell do you want? can't you see we're eating?" Naruto smirked.

"BAKA, BE MORE RESPECTFUL TO SASUKE-KUN! HE IS YOUR SUPERIOR..."

Andrew then interrupted "We are all Genin, our ranks are equal"

"I'M THE HEAD OF THE UCHIHA..."

"And how many Uchiha does that make. Face it Teme, you're no more a Clan head than I am"

Sasuke ignored him and turned to Andrew. "Dobe, give me all of your Jutsu of yours. Including the forbidden ones you mentioned"

Naruto was fuming. "Hmm let me think about that... No not gonna happen duck butt." Andrew said causing Naruto to erupt in a fit of laughter.

"DOBE, THAT'S IT YOU'RE GETTING IT NOW, SAKURA RESTRAIN THE BIGGER DOBE...FIRE STYLE: PHEONIX FLOWER JUTSU!" Hundreds of small fireballs flew straight at Andrew as his pink haired minion went to stop Naruto only to be put out of commission in seconds.

Andrew did several hand seals and shouted "**Shadow style: Shadow Wall**" The shadows of the nearby buildings expanded to the road merging into one and formed a barrier blocking all the fireballs.

"**Wind Release: Spiraling Fist**" wind chakra formed around Naruto's clenched fist as he flew towards the Uchiha. Said Uchiha couldn't react in time and sent him sprawling into the dirt.

By this time they had attracted a small crowd. However Andrew and Naruto were in for it as most were civilians and the civilian council showed up.

Sasuke began pushing himself up, the Council members were yelling.

"You attacked the last Uchiha, your getting it now, BRATS!"

"**SHADOW CLONE JUTSU**!" Naruto created a dozen shadow clones and charged at Sasuke. He glared bloody murder at them.

"**FANG PASSING FANG**!" Sasuke jumped into the air, and began spinning, turning into a sharp vortex of claws. This vortex struck the clones, destroying them.

One of the hidden ANBU growled as well as her companions the Haimaru Sankyodai. "That bastard stole our hidden jutsu. When mother hears of this she's going to flip."

"**FIRE RELEASE: DRAGON FIRE JUTSU**!" A dragon made of flames was spewed out of Sasuke's mouth towards the two Namikaze.

" Hiken!" Andrew's fist had flames completely surround it. He reared his fist back and punched his flaming fist straight into the fireball causing it to dissipate.

Sasuke watched him in shock as his technique was blocked by a punch. Naruto took advantage of the situation and shouted " **Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullet**" A compressed ball of air slammed into Sasuke, sending him crashing to the ground.

The council behind him began yelling insults. "HOW DARE YOU STRIKE A CLAN HEIR!"

"FREAK!"

"YOU SHOULD GIVE THOSE JUTSU TO UCHIHA-SAMA!"

"YOU ARE ALL IDIOTS!" Naruto yelled. "EVEN IF THAT SO CALLED SAMA OF YOURS WAS ANY GOOD, HE CAN'T COPY ANY OF MINE OR ANDREW'S JUTSU!" The council just got angrier.

"THEN CHANGE THAT!"

"AND WHY SHOULD WE LISTEN TO YOU INBRED FAT BASTARDS ANYWAY!" This shouting match continued until one of the merchants yelled out.

"HOW DARE YOU OPPOSE OUR WILL YOU, YOU, YOU...DEMONS!" Naruto's eyes twitched, as did Anrdrew's, Teuchi's and Ayame's. While Sakura was out cold and couldn't hear that comment, Sasuke did.

"Huh, what's this about the Dobes and demons?" The council member was about to answer that, until he felt a sharp pain on his back, and collapsed to the ground.

"**HIDDEN SHADOW SNAKE HAND**!" The man had been bitten in the back by a dozen poisonous snakes, which retreated into the arm of a rather ticked off Kunoichi, with purple hair, blandish brown eyes, a brown overcoat and some sort of mesh suit. Sasuke for some reason shivered at the sight of her.

"Oh great, it's her." Sakumo Haruno grumbled. It was Anko Mitarashi, the student of Orochimaru, known by many names; the Dango Serpent Mistress, the #1 Hyperactive Knucklehead Kunoichi, and the Kunoichi most likely to kill someone with a glare. And she was not amused.

"Okay, what the hell is going on here! Breaking the laws, attacking civilians and ninja. Not to mention my own team in that matter. Do you want me to drag you all to interrogation?"

"Get out of here, Mitarashi. This is justice for our Uchiha-sama being denied Jutsu that should be his!" Koharu yelled. Sakura's mom decided to add.

"This is a civilian matter as well, so be gone Snake Whore!" That ticked her off.

"Snake...whore...**SUMMONING JUTSU**!" Anko, now seriously angry, summoned a giant black, yellow striped snake the width of an average pickup truck with a menacing looking hood. The Council fled for their lives, pursued by the large snake. Anko laughed.

"I thought told you two to head home?" She asked turning to the two. "We went and got dinner at Ichiraku's until we were interrupted." Naruto said as he was glaring daggers at Sasuke's limp body raped over her shoulder.

"Ah that explains it. Well go home and get some rest. I'll see you two tomorrow. But first on my agenda is bringing this cute little emo brat to my special interrogation chambers." Sasuke gulped but couldn't do anything as the snake's venom paralyzed his entire body.

On the trek home Andrew asked "Yo Naruto have you heard from Kojoro lately?" He shook his head. "No I haven't. How about you with Paladin?"

"Nothing. I wanted to ask him a few questions but he hasn't been responding at all. I wonder what they are up to..."

Both boys pondered what their tenants were up to until they finally made it home. Both of them brushed their teeth, got changed and went to bed.

**In a joint mindscape**

**"Kojoro it needs to be done so stop arguing about it."**

**"Tell me why what's so important about replacing all of their memories! These boys have more problems than a war veteran does and their 12/13! You better have a good explanation Paladin or else I don't want to hear it!"**

Over the years Kojoro tried to do everything in her power to help the two but was restrained due to the seal. She hated violence despite what most humans thought of her. What she enjoyed more than anything was sleeping on a grassy plain in sunny weather with her cubs playing not too far away. To her Naruto and Andrew became her new cubs and will anything within her power to protect them.

Paladin's blue head began emitting a sea blue-green aura around it as it shook causing Kojoro to back up in surprise. When the aura wore off and the shaking stopped Paladin sighed.

**"One of my friend/ally who is a god from another dimension needs my help. However we can't help directly that is why I am sending both Naruto and Andrew to his world. Both will help his son in their world for the time being. In the world chakra does not exist but many Demigods do. We will remove their memories of everything pertaining to chakra first. Then we will put seals onto their bodies to hold all of their weapons. Once that is done we will be implanting fake memories into them after. Those memories will allow them to fit in the new world. I will change their attire so they won't stand out like a sore thumb. Once they enter the world my friend will transport them to a specific spot where they will be found and taken care of. Once the task is complete they will be brought back into this world. Besides it will let them get away from the abuse that they have received here."**

Kojoro narrowed her eyes but did not say anything outright. She knew he was hiding something but there was no point in trying.

**"So, how did you know of the gods of another dimension?"**

He chuckled. **"Ah that's right you don't know. Every 1,000 years the gods of many worlds get together on the summer solstice, including the ones of the underworld or hell of each world. Kami, Shinigami and myself represent this world. The one I mention is Mount Olympus. The Gods and Goddesses of those worlds are Zeus, Poseidon my friend and ally in that world, Hades, Ares, Hera, Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, Aphrodite, Demeter, Dionysus, Hestia, Hephaestus and Athena. Gods from other worlds come as well. The ones worth mentioning from two dimensions are Odin, Loki, Thor, Ra, Isis and Setna. Many gods come one particular dimension with . There are the gods and goddesses of light ****Branchala ****known as The Bard King, the Song of Life, and the Songmaster****, Habbakuk ****known as The Fisher King, Skylord, and the Blue Phoenix****, Kiri-Jolith ****known as the Sword of Justice and the Bison of Heaven****, Majere ****known as Mantis of the Rose, Master of Mind, and the Dreamsender****, Mishakal ****known as the Light Bringer, the Healing Hand, and the Blue Lady****, Solinari ****known as the Mighty Hand, the Ivory Disk, and God's Eye****, the neutral gods and goddesses, Chislev ****known as the Beast, Wild One, and World Mother****, Gilean ****known as the Book, the Sage, and the Gray Voyager****, Lunitari ****known as the Veiled Maiden, Maid of Illusion, and Night Candle****, Reorx ****known as the Forge, the World Smith, and Tamer of Chaos****, Shinare ****known as Winged Victory, the Silver Mistress, and Walking Liberty****, Sirrion ****known as the Flowing Flame, the Alchemist, and the Firemaster****, Zivilyn ****known as the World Tree, Wise One, and the Tree of Life****, the gods and goddesses of dark Chemosh ****also known as the Lord of Bones, Lifebane, and the Black Goat****, Hiddukel ****also known as the Prince of Lies, the Betrayer, and the Broken Scales****, Morgion ****also known as the Black Wind, Master of the Bronze Tower, and the Rat King****, Nuitari ****also known as the Devouring Dark, Nightreaver, and Ungod****, Sargonnas ****also known as the Red Condor, the Firebringer, and the Bull God****, Zeboim ****also known as the Sea Witch, the Darkling Sea, and the Dragon Turtle****, and the independent god Mina. Branchala ****represents the godly power of inspiration, Habbakuk represents the godly power of persistence, Kiri-Jolith represents the godly power of unity, Majere represents the godly force of discipline, Mishakal represents the godly power of restoration, Solinari represents the godly power of magic used for good, Chislev****represents the godly force of instinct, Gilean represents the godly force of knowledge, Lunitari represents the power of magic used for neutrality, Reorx represents the godly force of creation, Shinare represents the godly force of interaction, Sirrion represents the godly force of transformation, Zivilyn represents the godly force of wisdom, Chemosh represents the godly force of fatalism, Hiddukel represents the godly force of exploitation, Morgion represents the godly force of decay, Nuitari represents the godly power of magic used for evil, Sargonnas represents the godly force of wrath, Zeboim represents the godly force of strife and Mina does not represent anything. She refused to join any of the established pantheons, becoming an independent deity.****"**

Kojoro was surprised with the knowledge Paladin had on the gods and goddesses of Krynn. Thinking back to all the names of the gods she got confused.

**"Paladin sama it seems as if you missed two gods."**

**"Oh is that so? Tell me why you think that."**

**"With the list you gave it seems there are 6 gods and goddesses of light and dark and 7 gods and goddesses that are neutral. In order to have an even vote among all three parties there should be one god/goddess added to both the gods of light and dark."**

**"Smart. Your right there were two gods there but not anymore. Takhisis the Queen of Darkness was banished for stealing the world from all the other gods when Chaos The Father of all and of Nothing attacked the world. Due to her actions we banished her."**

**"Wait, what do you mean by we? Were you a god of Krynn?"**

**"Yes I was the head of the gods of light Paladin the silver knight. I also went by the names ****known as the Platinum Dragon, the Valiant Warrior, Fizban and Draco Paladin. I represented the godly force of majesty. In Krynn I sponsored the soul's aspirations to rise to greater heights and to improve itself by following the example of others as well as grant divine right to kings and rulers. I went to strip my sister of her powers but accidentally absorbed it all changing me. My appearance changed to what you see me as today and my human form changed as well. Since I have the powers of both light and dark I could not have a seat in any of the three powers. Therefore I declared I would self exile myself to keep the balance of power in check. So I traveled the Multiverse meeting many new worlds and gods until I stumbled upon this dimension where I found Kami-Chan and Shinigami-kun. I noticed that they had no balancing power so I asked if I could take the place as the balancing force and they happily agreed. So know you know. I am the adopted brother of Kami and Shinigami."**

**"... Wow that's an amazing tale. Too bad you can't go back to your home world though..."**

Paladin shook his head. **"Even if I could I don't want to. I have many good memories of Krynn but I have many memories for the time here and I hope to gain many more. Besides I will meet them every thousand years anyway so things will be fine. Anyway I will implant the information into both of their minds. Kojoro I need you to create storage seals on their wrists for their weapons. They will not know of chakra or anything pertaining to it until they need to use it for the first time. I will be putting false memories in them while we lock away the memories of their time here. Let's get started before they wake up."**

**"Hai"**

The boys started to move in their sleep as their minds were being altered. After a few minutes both of them stopped moving and had peaceful expressions on their faces. Paladin then appeared in the room in his human form.

**"I'm sorry boys but it needs to be done."**

He extended his hands out to each of them as a portal swallowed them bringing them to the new world.


	2. Attack of the demon teacher

**Just to let all my readers know this story will be pretty much the same as the book but with the added gods and Naruto characters so I don't own anything except for my OC Andrew**

My name is Percy Jackson. I'm 12 years old and a student at Yancy Academy, a private school in upstate New York. Today our class headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at the ancient Greek and Roman stuff.

Most of our field trips were boring as hell but our Latin teacher Mr. Brunner was leading this trip. Mr. Brunner is a middle aged man in a wheelchair. He had a thinning hair and a scruffy beard.

Today he wore his favorite frayed tweed jacket. He is my favorite teacher in Yancy. In class he would tell stories and jokes. He would also let us play games. Not only that he had also had an amazing collection of Roman armor and weapons. This trip I hoped I wouldn't get in trouble.

Boy was I wrong.

In the past I went on trips in my other schools and got expelled from each of them however this time I planned to be good. All the way into the city, my friends and I had to deal with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly redheaded kleptomaniac girl, hitting my friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of a peanut butter sandwich.

Grover was a scrawny kid with acne and a small wispy beard on his chin. Nancy Bobofit kept throwing pieces of her sandwich which got stuck in his curly brown hair.

Percy and Grover sat with two other boys. The spiky blond haired kid along with Percy grumbled "I'm going to kill her."

Grover tried to calm Percy down while the other kid tried to calm down the blond one. "It's ok Percy. I like peanut butter." "Naruto calm down. We don't want to cause a scene here."

Both boys grumbled and crossed their arms in defeat which caused Grover to sigh. He turned to the other boy. "Thanks for calming Naruto down Andrew. I appreciate it."

Andrew just shook his head. "It's no big deal. As long as I have known him Naruto has been hot headed."

Andrew and Naruto are cousins as well as orphans. Both of their mothers died in childbirth but no one knows anything about their fathers.

**Flashback**

July 25th of last summer both Percy and his mother Sally Jackson stayed at their Montauk house. On that day they went for a walk on the beach and found both boys washed ashore.

"Hey mom what is that over there?"

Sally squinted her eyes to see what Percy was pointing to. She was about to say it was nothing until she saw the object more clearly which changed the expression on her face turn to one of shock.

"They are two boys! Percy come with me and hurry."

Both sprinted to the bodies of the boys. Sally checked for signs of life and sighed in relief as both boys had a pulse and were breathing.

"Percy we're taking them to the house. you get the blond one while I take this boy." Sally Jackson is a caring and loving person. She would not shy away from helping a person especially a child.

Percy picked up the blond fireman style and carried him to the house. Just as Sally was going to pick up the other boy she noticed a dry piece of paper in his hand.

Curious she took the paper in his hand and pocketed it then carried the boy to the house. When she got to the house she saw that Percy had set the blond down on the couch. Sally set the other boy down on the recliner.

Once both boys were placed on the furniture she said to Percy. "I need you to watch them for a bit. I need to take a look at something.

Sally walked to the bathroom and locked the door. She then took out the paper and started reading. As she read it her expression changed from neutral, to shock then to a sad smile. She threw the paper out and walked into living room where she saw both boys up holding their heads in pain.

Naruto was the first to respond. "Ugh what happened? Where are we?"

"You're in our house in Montauk. We found you guys washed ashore and brought you guys here. As to what happened we were curious as well." Percy said.

Andrew shook his head. "All I can remember is that my father and uncle brought both of us out to sea to do some deep sea fishing. However our ship was getting destroyed from some massive waves. The last one that hit us knocked me unconscious. After that I found myself waking up here."

Sally frowned but didn't say anything. "Well don't remember anything that happened so I'm clueless. Oh my name is Naruto Uzumaki and thanks for helping us out."

"My name is Sally Jackson and Percy over here is my son." She turned to the brown haired kid "What about you?"

Andrew smiled. "My name is Andrew Namikaze. Thanks for taking care of us. I hope we aren't a burden to you."

She waved him off. "You boys were no problem at all. Where do you guys live? Is it close by?"

At that question both boys frowned. "We never had a home. Our mothers died during childbirth and our dads never liked to stay in one place for a long time. Our dads were hardcore huntsman and survival experts. We mostly spent our time in the woods learning to hunt, make fire with whatever we could find as well as skin and cook small animals. Even though we spent most of our time in the woods and camping we aren't strangers to technology. I had a laptop and IPod. On some occasions my father would set up the TV and we'd watch movies. That night we went out fishing was for dinner..."

Sally bit the bottom of her lip. She felt bad for both boys. By looking at the situation both Andrew and Naruto were now orphans with no home and no other family to turn to. At that moment her eyes widened as she remembered the note and had a bright smile on her face.

The boys were talking to Percy about their hobbies and interests when she interrupted. "Andrew, Naruto since you two have nowhere to go why don't you live with us. I certainly don't mind. WHat about you Percy?"

All three boys were shocked they were being offered to live with a complete stranger. Realization dawned on them that they really had no other options. Percy grinned at the thought of having other kids to hang out with until he scowled.

"What's the matter Percy?"

"What about Gabe mom? He'll never let them stay."

Sally bit her lower lip again as she mentally slapped herself. She had completely forgot about Gabe. When he finds out that two more kids are going to be staying he's going to flip.

"It's alright. You don't have to do this. We'll just go to the or..." "No you'll stay with us!"

They were shocked by her outburst. Percy was stunned. His mom never yelled before. '_What's going on I've never seen mom act like this...'_

In the Bathroom

The note that Sally found on Andrew slowly dissolved. Before the note completely dissolved the only thing that showed was a golden trident.

**End Flashback**

Mr. Brunner led the museum tour. He rode up front in his wheelchair guiding the students through the big galleries, past marble statues and glass cases with old pottery.

He had all of the students gather around a 13 ft tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and told us it was a grave marker, also called a stele, for a girl around our age. He told us the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he was saying because it was interesting.

Andrew and Grover were listening intently while Naruto was looking around marveling at all the ancient stuff. However it was hard to hear him because everyone else around me was talking and every time the other chaperone Mrs. Dodds gave all three boys the evil eye.

Mrs. Dodds is a short math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket and was around 50 years old. She had come to Yancy halfway through the year when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown.

She thought that Nancy Bobofit was an angel while she thought Andrew, Naruto, Grover and me were troublemakers.

Mr. Brunner started talking about Greek funeral art. Nancy snickered something about the naked guy on the stele. Percy rounded on her and said "Will you shut up!"

His outburst caught Naruto's attention and caused Mr. Brunner to stop his story. Andrew and Grover sighed while the rest of the group laughed.

"Mr. Jackson did you have a comment?"

Percy's face turned beet red from embarrassment and muttered a quick 'No sir'. Mr. Brunner pointed to a picture. "Could you please tell us what this picture represents?"

Percy looked the picture over. "It's a picture of Kronos eating his kids."

"Yes you're correct now explain why he did it?"

"Kronos was the leader of the titans and didn't trust his children, the gods. He decided to eat them but his wife hid Zeus and gave Kronos a rock to eat. When Zeus grew up he tricked Kronos into throwing up his siblings."

Several girls behind him made gagging noises.

"After that there was a war between the gods and the Titans and the gods won."

Nancy mumbled "Like we're going to use this in real life."

Mr. Brunner ignored her. "Well half credit Percy. Andrew can you please finish the explanation." He nodded his head. "Yes. Zeus gave Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine forcing him to vomit up his other 5 children, who were immortal, living and growing up in the Titans stomach completely undigested. The gods then defeated Kronos by slicing up with his own scythe, like he did with his father Ouranos, and scattered the pieces in the darkest pits of Tartarus."

Mr. Brunner grinned. "Thank you Andrew for the answer and extra credit for the inclusion for the knowledge of the fate of Ouranos. Mrs. Dodds, would you please lead us back outside?"

The class drifted towards the exit while Mr. Brunner called Percy, Andrew, and Naruto over. "Boys you must take my knowledge on this subject very seriously. It is vitally important. You all must learn how this will affect your lives."

He then turned around in his wheelchair and headed outside with the boys wandering behind him pondering what he meant. The class gathered on the front steps of the museum. Overhead, a huge storm was brewing with black clouds over the city.

Lately there have been massive snow storms, flooding and wildfires caused by lightning. Grover, Andrew, Naruto and Percy sat on the edge of the fountain away from the rest of the class. Andrew, Naruto, and Percy all had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while Grover had a salad.

Andrew was the first to finish his lunch with Grover finishing right after him. He took out his ipod and put one earpiece in so he could hear what the others were talking about while still listening to his music.

Since he only had one in Percy could easily make out what he was listening to. From the sounds of it it was Skrillex. Equinox to be exact.

Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while reading a book. A red umbrella stuck out from the back of his chair making it look like a motorized café table.

Percy was about to unwrap his lunch until Nancy came over with her friends and dumped her half eaten lunch onto Grover's lap. "Ooops" she said smirking.

All the boys except Grover who was removing the food from his lap got up glaring at her including Andrew. Andrew is a calm person. It must have been his breaking point cause it took a lot to piss him off this much.

They heard a wave roar in their ears. None of them touched her but Nancy was sitting in the fountain screaming that they pushed her. In a second Mrs. Dodds was there right next to them. She checked to see if Nancy was okay and promised to buy her a new shirt.

She turned to the boys and gave them the death glare. "Come with me. Now!" Grover tried to protest but was ignored. The boys turned to Nancy who was smirking in victory. When they turned to Mrs. Dodds she was already at the museum entrance tapping her foot impatiently.

They blinked wondering how she got there so fast but shrugged it off and jogged towards her. Grover's eyes kept shifting from them to Mr. Brunner like he wanted him to notice what was going on but he was too absorbed in his novel.

They followed her back into the Greek and Roman section. All four of them were the only ones in the gallery. Mrs. Dodds stood in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods while making a weird noise that sounded like growling.

"Did you boys really think you'd get away with it?" she snarled. "We are not fools boys. It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess and you will suffer less pain."

The boys looked at her in confusion. They had no idea what the hell she was talking about. Naruto was the one to voice their thoughts. "Mrs. Dodds we don't..."

"Your time is up." she hissed.

She then started to transform. Her eyes started to glow like barbeque coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large leathery wings. She transformed into a shriveled hag with bat wings, claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs.

Somehow Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair into the doorway holding a pen in his hand. "What ho, Percy!" he shouted as he tossed the pen. She lunged at the boys causing them to yelp in surprise and dodge the talons. Percy snatched the pen out of the air but when it hit his hand it transformed into a bronze sword.

However something else happened surprising everyone in the room including Mrs. Dodds. The tattoos on Andrew's an Naruto's wrist, at least that's what they thought they were, glowed. Two loud popping sounds were heard.

What actually surprised them wasn't the tattoos that glowed but what appeared in their hands when the smoke dissipated. Andrew wielded a nasty looking scythe while Naruto had a katana. The scythe had a silver shaft with a dragon's skull on top where the black and red blade protruded from. Naruto's katana was completely pitch black in color, blade and all.

Both boy's wielded them expertly. Andrew was holding the long weapon in his left hand held over his head ready for battle while Naruto got into a stance, ready to lunge. Mrs. Dodds shook herself out of the daze and lunged at the still shocked Percy.

She was about to slice him in pieces but with a burst of speed Naruto parried her talons with the katana and forced her back. Andrew stood right behind with the scythe coming across ready to slice her in half but she extended her wings and flew up avoiding the blade.

In the air she gave the three a calculating look. Percy finally got out of his daze and held his sword in a awkward stance. Percy stumbled a bit trying to reposition the blade but Mrs. Dodds lunged again. However he expected that. instead of trying to swing the sword he held it towards her.

She was caught off guard by the move. Once she realized her mistake it was too late. Percy's blade stabbed her through the stomach, Naruto's katana had pierced her heart through her back and her head was now rolling on the floor, courtesy of Andrew's scythe.

They expected to see blood to start pooling out but was surprised when the body and head dissolved into a yellow powder. As the powder disappeared Andrew's scythe and Naruto's katana disappeared in a puff of smoke while Percy's sword turned into a pen again.

The boy's were in the room alone and thinking the same thing 'Had we imagined the entire thing?'. They headed outside while thinking over what happened as they covered themselves from the rain. Grover was sitting by the fountain with a museum map over his head.

Nancy was still soaked and was complaining to her friends. When she saw the boys she told them "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your asses.

"Who?" they all asked.

She rolled her eyes "Our teacher. Duh." They were confused, they never had a teacher called Mrs. Kerr. Before any of them could ask her who she was talking about she walked off. They went to Grover and asked him the same thing. He stuttered that there was no Mrs. Dodds and their pre algebra teacher was Mrs. Kerr.

Finally they decided to talk to Mr. Brunner. They walked over to him who was sitting in the same spot reading his book as if he never moved. He looked up a bit distracted when the boys walked over. "Ah Percy that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future."

He handed the pen over to him and asked "Sir, where's Mrs. Dodds?" He stared at the boys blankly. "Who?" "The other chaperone Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher." Andrew explained completely frustrated.

He frowned and leaned forward mildly concerned. "Boys, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I've know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you all feeling ok?"


	3. Socks of Death

The rest of the school year the boys thought they were being pranked or something. They fought the demonic Mrs. Dodds but practically everyone was convinced that Mrs. Kerr, a perky blond woman that got on the bus at the end of the field trip had been our pre algebra teacher since Christmas.

Every so often the boys would spring a Mrs. Dodds reference on some students but would receive blank stares. They almost started to believe them that she never existed. However Grover couldn't fool them.

Whenever they mentioned Mrs. Dodds to him, he'd hesitate, then claim she didn't exist, but they could tell he was lying. However they didn't have time to ponder that as schoolwork piled up as the final exams came close.

Andrew seemed to be doing fine with the school work but Naruto and Percy's began to slip to D's and F's. He tried to help them but it didn't help. Percy has been getting homesick while Naruto has been having... difficulties. Naruto has been having nightmares of a giant fox with nine swaying tails attacking a town/village and the demonic math teacher. Percy soon found out that the headmaster sent his mom a letter saying he would not allowed to attend Yancy next year. He was homesick and wanted to go back to his home which was an apartment on the Upper East Side.

**Timeskip**

The night before there Latin final Naruto and Percy decided to talk to Mr. Brunner for some extra help. They walked through the school to his office where the light was shining through the window.

Naruto was about to walk towards the door which was only a few feet away until they heard a familiar voice.

"I'm worried about Percy and Naruto sir." They froze and turned to each other and nodded. Both inched closer so they could hear better.

"... alone this summer." they heard Grover say. " I mean a Kindly One in the _school_! Now that we know for sure, and _they_ know too-" "We'd only make matters worse by rushing them. We need Percy and Naruto to mature more. Andrew seems to be taking it well and let it go."

"But they may not have the time. The summer solstice deadline-" "Will be resolved without them. Let them enjoy their ignorance while they can." "Sir, they killed her. You said that even you were surprised when those weapons came out of those strange tattoos Naruto and Andrew had."

"Your correct Grover, maybe Mr. D will know something about that. As for the Kindly One, it was their imagination. The mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince them of that."

"Si, I can't fail in my duties again." Grover said sadly. "You haven't failed Grover. I should've seen her for what she was. Now let's worry about keeping Percy, Naruto and Andrew alive until next fall."

The mythology book in Percy's hand fell to the floor with a loud 'Thud'. They panicked. Percy quickly picked the book up and they backed down the hall and they entered and empty room. A shadow much taller than Mr. Brunner in his wheelchair and Grover walked out of the office holding a weapon of some kind.

A few seconds later they heard a noise that sounded like muffled wood blocks and an animal sniffing. It continued all the down to the room both boys hid themselves in. From the moonlight they could see the weapon that was being held. It was a bronze colored bow and arrow. Sweat trickled down their faces praying to the gods they didn't get caught.

"Nothing" they heard Mr. Brunner say. "My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice." Mine either" they heard Grover say.

"Go back to the dorm. You've got a long day of exams tomorrow." "Don't remind me." The lights in Mr. Brunner's office then turned off. After a few minutes they left the room they took refuge in.

"What do you think they were talking about Percy?" "I don't know. Let's head back to the dorms." Both boys separated and headed to their own dorms where Andrew and Percy waited for them.

The next day the last exam was finished and was the last day of school. All the boy had everything packed and ready for the trip. They didn't really want to say goodbye to Grover, but luck was on their side as he had booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound.

During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing at the other passengers nervously. Percy then asked "Looking for Kindly Ones?" The question startled him. "Wha-what do mean?"

Andrew looked at Percy wondering the same thing while Naruto looked at Grover. "Grover, Percy and I heard you talking to Mr. Brunner the other night talking about Kindly Ones. Whatever those are and something about a summer solstice deadline."

He winced. "Look guys... I was worried for you guys. I mean hallucinating about demon math teachers..." "Grover-" "And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you guys were stressed... well actually just Percy and Naruto, seeing as Andrew passed all his exams..."

Being reminded of that Naruto's and Percy's heads dropped in shame. "... because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds and..." Percy then cut in "You're a really bad liar Grover."

His face turned tomato red. He then took out three cards and handed each of them one. "Take this in case you guys need me this summer." It said:

Grover Underwood

Keeper

Half Blood Hill

(800) 009-0009

Percy and the other two looked at the card in confusion. "What's Half-"

"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "It's my summer address. You can call me if you need me as well."

Andrew cocked his head. "No offence Grover, and don't take this personally but why would we need you. I know we're friends but we don't have to depend on each other for everything..."

Grover started to blush again. "Look guys, the truth is I-I have to protect you."

They all stared at him before bursting into laughter. Naruto wiped a tear from his eye. "Grover your just too much. We've protected you from bullies the entire year and now you're saying you have to protect us." He chuckled while Andrew narrowed his eyes.

"Grover" he said in an even tone. "What exactly are you protecting us from?" Suddenly the bus stopped as black smoke rose from the dashboard. The bus pulled over as the passengers all got out of the bus. The driver was checking the engine while the boys looked around.

Percy then noticed three old ladies in rocking chairs off the side of the road knitting a pair of socks the size of sweaters. The lady on the right knitted the one while the one on the far left knit the other. The one in the middle held a huge basket of electric blue yarn. They looked ancient with wrinkled pale faces, with silver hair tied back in white bandanas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses.

The weird part was that they were looking straight at Percy. He turned to the guys and said "Yo guys, you think those socks would fit me. Grover paled "Percy please tell me they aren't looking at you..." "I don't know Percy those socks look like they could fit Big foot or Godzilla." Naruto said chuckling. "Either that or they plan on putting those things up for Christmas as stockings." Andrew said with a smirk.

The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors which were gold and silver the shears. Grover caught his breath "Get on the bus. Now!" But Percy waited too long. The middle lady watched him as she cut the yarn. He swore he heard the snip across the lanes of traffic. Soon after the two other ladies then balled the socks.

As soon as that weird event happened the engine roared back to life getting cheers from the passengers. "Darn right! Everyone back on!" Once everyone got back on the bus Percy started to feel feverish and Grover started to shiver and his teeth were chattering.

He turned to Grover. "Grover?"

"Yeah?"

"What aren't you telling me?"

He started to sweat. "Percy what did you see with those old ladies?" "What about them? There not like Mrs. Dodds... right?"

A feeling of dread washed over all of them. Grover then asked "What did you see?" "The middle one took out her scissors and cut the yarn." Grover made a gesture with his fingers that was unfamiliar to them.

He then said "You saw them snip the cord." "Yeah so?"Grover started chewing his thumb. "I don't want this to be like last time."

"What last time?" Andrew asked

"Always sixth grade. They never made it past sixth."

"Grover" Naruto said. He was starting scare them. "What are you talking about?"

"Let me walk you guys to your place from the bus station. Promise me that at least." They were surprised by the weird request but promised.

"Is this a superstition or something?" Andrew asked. No answer.

Percy finally gathered the courage and asked "That snipping of the yarn... does that mean someone is going to die?"

He looked at Percy as is he was already choosing what kind of flower he would put on his coffin.


	4. Odd dreams Grover lost his pants?

As soon as they got to the bus terminal they ditched Grover. Andrew wanted to keep his promise to Grover seeing as he was really scared about something but Naruto and Percy talked him out of it.

Grover kept muttering "Why does this always happen?" and "Why does it always have to be sixth grade?"

Whenever he got upset his bladder would act up. He had them promise to wait for him and they agreed. But Percy and Naruto took this moment to ditch him. They didn't want to do it either but his constant rambling was freaking them out.

They grabbed their suitcases and walked outside and caught the first taxi uptown.

"East one hundred and fourth and first" Percy told the driver.

Sally Jackson, Percy's mom was great was what they all thought. When she first found Naruto and Andrew she took them in and treated them like family immediately. The theory about the best people have the rottenest luck turns out to be true with her story.

Her parents died in a plane crash when she was five and was raised by an uncle who didn't care much for her. This is one of the reasons for taking the boys in. She didn't want to subjugate them to a life in a orphanage. She knew what it was like to lose family and a life in a orphanage is nothing like having a mother figure in your life especially when you have lived your entire life without one.

Lucky for her and the boys none of them know of their true past. If she had known of their lives in their own world before Poseidon told her to take care of them she would never let them go back. She'd die before she would send them to a hellhole like that.

She has been taking weird jobs, night classes to get her high school diploma and raised Percy on her own. Then came Gabe Ugliano. He has made Sally's and Percy's life a living hell but she has put up with it for years not to mention the smell that came off of him was horrid.

When Sally returned from Montauk with the boys Gabe demanded to know what two other kids were doing in their apartment. She told him that they'll be living with them and he exploded. He cursed like a sailor and demanded that they leave at once or he'd call the cops.

Then something weird happened. He looked into Naruto's eyes. He stared for a full minute before scowling. "They need to hold their own weight otherwise they'll be kicked out." No one knew exactly what happened but was glad that he changed his mind. To hold their own weight Andrew had got a job at the local library as an aide. He was thrilled with this job because not only was it easy but it allowed him to read even more books.

Andrew always was a big reader. He borrowed a book series called the Dragonlance series. He has read from the Chronicles to the Dark Discipline series at least three times. He also got a job as a swimming instructor. He keeps several dollars to save which he used to pay for his ipod and his music while the rest he makes goes to paying the monthly rent.

Naruto had a hard time finding a job for a while. He finally got jobs as a paper boy and pizza delivery guy via bike. He has done the same with his money too. Keeps a few dollars and rest goes to other needs for the five of them.

They walked into the apartment hoping that Sally would be home. Instead Gabe was sitting in the living room playing poker with three other people. The TV was playing clips of ESPN and the floor was littered with bags of chips, candy, pretzels, and beer cans.

He then grunted "So you brats are back."

"Where's mom?" Percy asked

"Working. Got any cash?"

Andrew and Naruto then said sarcastically "Sorry Gabe, you know the money is to buy groceries and pay for rent so we don't have any money for your poker game."

He scowled again before turning to Percy. "What about you?"

"I don't have any cash." he replied.

Gabe narrowed his eyes and started to sniff the air the aura of garbage and his own fumes not affecting him one bit. "You took a taxi from the bus station. Probably paid with a twenty. Got six or seven in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Hell even your two buddies over there are pulling their own weight and they aren't supposed to be living here in the first place. Am I right Eddie?"

The man named Eddie sighed. "Come on Gabe, the kid just got here." Eddie was the only one of Gabe's poker buddies they actually liked. He is the super of the apartment building. They knew he has a crush on Sally but hasn't tried to do anything as she married Gabe. But he secretly helped her by giving her some money so she could do the night classes to get her diploma.

"Am I _right_?" He scowled and thought the same thing as the boys. '_Why did she ever marry a guy like this?'_

"Fine" he said throwing the wad of money on the table. "I hope you lose." "Your reports came in brain boy! I wouldn't act so snooty!"

The boys walked into their room. Since it was a small apartment they all slept in the room but they didn't mind. They actually enjoyed each other's company. Naruto and Andrew usually slept on the floor to the right and foot of the bed where Percy slept.

However during the school months it turned into Gabe's 'study'. Even though he calls it a study he really didn't do anything in there. There were old car magazines in their but he usually shoved junk in the closet and place his boots on the windowsill.

Andrew and Naruto began cleaning the room with the broom that they had in their whenever they got back. They managed to clean up the floor and spray the entire room with a dove spray making them gag. But at least it smelt much better than Gabe any day.

They then dropped their suitcases on the bed and floor. Now their minds returned back to Grover and his superstitions. They shivered as they all remembered that day when they fought the demon math teacher.

They then heard a Sally's voice. "Percy, Andrew, Naruto?"

They all sighed in relief. The thought of Sally made the memory of Mrs. Dodds fade. She walked into the bedroom hugging each boy before opening a a huge bag of free samples from her job at a candy store in Grand Central.

They all talked about anything that came to mind as they ate the candy she brought. They laughed and talked for a few minutes until Gabe ruined the moment.

"Hey Sally, how about some bean dip, huh?"

The boys all grit their teeth. They thought that she deserved someone much better than him. Eddie even agrees with them but they didn't tell her that. That's their secret.

They then talked about the last few days of school and said that they'd miss Grover and Mr. Brunner. One of them mentioned the trip but didn't continue. Sally somehow sensed this. "What happened? Did something go wrong?"

"No mom/Sally."

She pursed her lips. She could already tell something was off but didn't press the matter which relieved them greatly.

"Well I have a surprise for all of you we're going to the beach." This caused all the boys eyes to widen and sparkle in excitement.

"Montauk?" Percy asked excitedly

"Three nights same cabin."

Andrew and Naruto were extremely happy. Despite that was where they washed ashore they really enjoyed their stay at their Montauk cabin when Sally invited them to live with her and Percy.

"When?" Naruto asked exuberantly

She smiled at their enthusiasm. "As soon as I get changed."

Gabe then appeared in the doorway and growled, "Bean dip Sally? Didn't you hear me?" At this point all three boys were ready to beat the shit out of him. Even the usually calm Andrew was ready to deck him. But they noticed Sally's eyes and noticed that she offered them a deal.

Be nice to him for a while until I am ready to go. Then all of us will be out of here.

"I'm on way." she told him. "We were talking about the trip."

His eyes narrowed. "You mean you were serious about that?" The Andrew and Percy gritted their teeth while Naruto made a weird growling noise with his throat.

"I knew he wouldn't let us go." Percy said ready to explode. Sally calmed him down by saying that he was only worried about money and that she'll make him a seven layer dip for the entire weekend. At that he then said "The money is coming out of your clothes budget, right?"

Now Andrew and Naruto smirked. "Nope" causing Gabe to narrow his eyes and Sally to look at them in confusion. "What are you talking about brats?" Sally wanted to know the same thing but would have asked in a curious and kind tone instead of the sarcastic and bitter tone that Gabe used.

"You see Gabe, all the money that Naruto and I collected for ourselves that didn't go to rent and groceries added up to today and we have enough money for the trip without Sally having to cut her clothes budget." Andrew said happily.

Sally and Percy stared at them in shock that they did this for them while Gabe grunted. "Fine, it's not my money being wasted so I don't care. Sally my car will be only brought there and back correct?"

"We'll be very careful."

He scratched his double chin. "Maybe if you hurry with the seven layer dip... and the brat apologizes for interrupting my poker game."

Sally, Naruto, and Andrew gave him a look. Percy knew that Andrew and Naruto spent a lot of time trying to get the money to go on the trip and his mom didn't want him to make Gabe mad. So he went with another approach to appease all three parties.

"I'm really sorry for interrupting your incredibly important poker game. Please go back to it now." His eyes narrowed as he tried to detect sarcasm in his voice while Andrew and Naruto could barely contain their mirth.

"Yeah whatever." He then walked back to his game

"Thank you Percy" Sally told him. She then turned to the boys and said with a sad smile "Once we get to Montauk we'll talk about what you haven't told me. Okay?"

She then left to make the seven layer dip.

An hour went by and they were all packed and ready to go. Gabe stopped playing poker and watched them pack the car whining like a baby that he won't have his car and Sally's cooking an entire weekend.

He dragged the boys off to the side. "Not a scratch on this car brats. Not one scratch." Percy got really mad all of a sudden and did the weird hand gesture Grover did on the bus. The screen door then slammed shut extremely hard that it hit Gabe in the butt causing him to fly up the stairs.

Both Andrew and Naruto watched the entire thing inside the car and roared with laughter as he got into the passenger seat and told Sally to step on it.

They got to Montauk by sunset. They cleaned the house first. Once they did that they then started to have fun. Sally, Andrew and Percy fed the seagulls some bread while Naruto tried to pelt them, only to end in failure as they caught it in the air before they landed.

They also ate the free candy that Sally brought from work. When it got dark they set up a fire and roasted marshmallows. Sally told them stories of her life and the books she'd like to write when she had enough money. She even told Percy the story of how she met Percy's dad on this very beach when he asked to hear it.

Percy felt anger towards his father for not being there for him or his mother. But he knew he couldn't do anything since he didn't even know who he was or if he even was still alive.

They got on the topic of school and things started to come back when she told Percy she wanted to keep him safe. He began to remember in different grades weird things happening to him.

"I've tried to keep you as close to me as I could, they told me it was a mistake. But there's only one other option but I just can't stand to do it."

"Dad wanted me to go to a special school?"

"Not a school" she said softly "A summer camp."

Percy and the other two were confused. Percy's father who wasn't even around during his life wanted him to be sent to a summer camp of all places. It was unreal.

"I'm sorry Percy, but I can't talk about it. I-I couldn't send you there. It might mean saying goodbye to you for good."

They didn't say anything for the rest of the night.

Percy and Naruto had very interesting dreams that night.

Naruto's dream

There were four figures arguing and debating on top of the villages tallest building as Naruto saw the giant fox from his dreams only a few miles away. Each of its tails could be seen clearly. Out there in the fiery light the people were sacrificing themselves to buy them the time they needed. They had no chance of defeating or even injuring the demon. They were a momentary distraction to the demon, nothing more.

"SHIT we need to go NOW" two of the figures shouted as they ran straight to the demon. Before they got a half a mile away from the fox they ran through a couple of hand seals then shouted **Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld. **The fox was caught off guardby the technique but only sunk into the swamp halfway up its paw.

The fox looked at the brown haired figure in fury and swiped at him with incredible speed impaling him on one of its claws before roaring in triumph.

The blond figure was angered by the death but did not run in recklessly. Instead he created two clones of himself somehow and they ran off. The three stood there for a minute no speaking until one of the copies came holding a bundle in its arms.

The trio talked debated for a few minutes until the blonde figure ran off with the child towards the rampaging demon. The figure had been going through the hand seals for the technique.

When he completed the sequence he shouted **Hakke no Fuuin Shiki. **As soon as a figure that looked similar to death appeared a white light flared into existence.

End of dream

Naruto woke up sweating and panting.

Percy's dream

It was storming on the beach, and the two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle, were trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf. The eagle swooped down and slashed at the horse's muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagles wings. As they fought the ground rumbled and a monstrous voice chuckled beneath the earth goading the animals to fight harder. Percy ran towards them knowing he had to stop them from killing each other but he was running in slow motion. It was too late, the eagle dove down beak aimed at the horses wide eyes and he screamed out _NO!_

End of dream

Percy also woke up with a start.

Outside it was storming. The winds were howling, lightning strikes light up the sky as if it was day and the waves were pounding the sand dunes.

Sally ran into his room and said "Hurricane."

In the night sky there was a distant bellow that sounded angry and tortured. He then heard someone knocking on their cabin door and yelling that sounded desperate. Andrew opened the door and Grover was standing in the doorway with the rain falling down heavy right behind him.

Sally was frightened and looked at Percy. "What happened at school? What didn't you guys tell me?"

"_O Zeu kai alloi theoi!_" Grover yelled. "It's right behind me! Didn't you tell her?"

The boys were shocked by the fact that not only that Grover was here but he cursed in ancient Greek, not to mention that they understood him perfectly.

"_Percy_. Tell me now!"

Percy stammered the story about the demon math teacher and the creepy old ladies with giant socks. She paled .

"Get to the car all of you. Now!"

The boys finally understood why Grover said he had a muscular disorder in his legs. Where his legs and feet were supposed to be was furry bottom half with a stubby little tail with cloven hooves.


	5. Bullfighting? Naruto and wierd events

They tore through the night along the dark roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashed the windshield.

Naruto finally got the nerve to ask Grover who was sitting in between him and Andrew in the back seat what he wanted to ask.

"So what exactly are you?" "That doesn't matter right now."

"It doesn't matter? From the waist down my best friend is a donkey..." Percy said from up in the passenger seat.

Grover let out a sharp throaty "_Blaa-ha-ha_"

They've heard him make this noise before. They thought it was a nervous laugh or something. Now they realized it was more than that. Andrew stroked his chin thinking until Grover cried out "Goat!"

"I'm a goat from the waist down." Andrew's eyes widened in realization.

"You just said it didn't matter." Percy yelled.

Before Grover could retort Andrew shouted "You're a Satyr?"

Grover raised his hands and head in victory. "Yes, leave it to Andrew to find out what I am while the other two are clueless."

"Whoa wait you mean like Mr. Brunner's myths?"

Grover was about to speak but Andrew beat him to the punch. "Percy, Naruto remember the last time in Montauk we saw something in the distance around 100 feet tall, the woman in the ocean only to disappear when we turned our heads, what we thought was a hawk was a horse, face it these myths are real. I'm guessing that Mrs. Dodds was a monster as well?"

The weird bellowing noise rose as it sounded closer than before.

"Boys there's too much to explain and not enough time. We need to get you boys to safety."

"Safety from what? Who's after us?" Naruto nervously asked.

"Oh nobody much. Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his bloodthirsty minions."

"Grover!"

Sally made a hard left causing Grover to go flying into Andrew. "Ugh Grover your heavy and sorry to say this but the wet fur stinks."

Grover blushed in embarrassment and muttered a quick sorry before getting off him.

They raced past dark farmhouses and wooded hills and signs saying PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES along a white picket fence.

"Where are we going?" Percy asked

"The summer camp I told you about. The place your father wanted to send you."

"Then why are we going there?"

"Please Percy, this is hard enough" she begged. "Try to understand that you all are in danger."

"Because some old ladies cut yarn?"

"Those weren't just any old ladies Percy. Those were the fates. When they usually appear I front of you? It means someone's about to die."

Percy stayed silent as he processed what he just heard. Sally pulled the wheel hard to the right and they saw the figure that was chasing them.

"We're almost there, another mile. Please, please, please."

The boys thought back to the demon Mrs. Dodds and all thought the same thing. '_She meant to kill me_'

Suddenly there was a blinding flash, a jaw rattling _boom_!, and the car exploded

They all were sent flying. Sally and Percy were fine as the airbags released themselves. "Boys!" Sally shouted to all of them hoping they were alive.

"I'm okay..." Percy replied

"I'm fine too Sally but it looks like Grover and Naruto are out for the count." Andrew said as he shook his head to get rid of the daze.

From the looks like it lightning hit the car and it hydroplaned in a ditch when Sally stepped on the brakes.

In the Backseat Grover was slumped over, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. Naruto was in a similar condition. Andrew checked for signs of life and sighed in relief as both were only unconscious. He muttered "thank god I took the first aid course for my lifeguard course."

He then dragged both of the boys out of the car while Percy and Sally had trouble getting out because of the mud and the slant the car was on.

Another way he was able to tell both yelled out in their state "Food/Ramen"

Both Percy and Andrew looked back. In a flash of lightning they saw a figure lumbering towards the car on the shoulder of the road. The silhouette was of a large man, body built like a football player but 3 feet taller than the average height. His upper body seemed to be bulky and furry just like the lower half of Grover.

"Percy, Andrew you have to run. Do you see that big tree?" Andrew nodded his head as he saw it with the help of a lightning bolt. It was a huge Christmas tree the size of the White House at the crest of the nearest hill.

"That's the property line. Get over that hill and you'll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Run and don't look back. Yell for help. Don't stop until you reach the door."

"Mom you're coming too! You are coming with me. Help me carry Grover."

Grover moaned out food again.

Percy started to carry Grover while Sally remained where she was. "Boys I can't cross the property line"

"But..."

"We don't have time, Percy, Andrew go, please."

Before they moved they saw the monster clearly. He was seven feet tall, and had big bulky legs and arms as well as the rest of the muscles. The top half of his body above his belly button was coarse brown hair. His neck was a mass of muscle and fur leading up to his huge head, which had a snout as long as an arm, snotty nostrils with a golden ring, cruel black eyes and enormous black and white horns.

Both boy's recognized the monster before them and couldn't believe their eyes. "That's the Min-"

"Don't say his name. They have power."

He hunched over the overturned car sniffing it. He was about ask his mom the question but Andrew was expecting it.

"His eyesight and hearing are terrible so he goes by smell." The Minotaur bellowed in rage. He picked the car up and threw it along the road which caused the gas tank to explode.

"Boys when he sees us he'll charge. Wait until the last second then jump out of the way. He can't change directions very well once he does."

He bellowed in rage once again and started to charge uphill. At the same time Naruto got up and started doing something with his hands.

"Naruto! What are you doing? We need to get out of here..."

The Minotaur closed in. Another few seconds he'd be on top of them.

Before the Minotaur could impale Naruto with his horns he finished doing whatever is was with his hands and shouted " Fūton: Daitoppa"

This surprised everyone especially the Minotaur as he was on the receiving end. A huge wave of wind powerful enough to uproot a tree exploded outwards from Naruto into the bull like man causing him to not only fly 7 feet backwards but land on his back flailing his arms.

They all gaped at Naruto wondering what he just did. Andrew on the other hand was confused. It seemed familiar to him. Not only that he spoke in Japanese and Andrew understood what he said.

He broke out of his musings when Naruto fell back down to the ground. Sally, Percy, and Andrew took the Minotaur's time of confusion to drag Grover and Naruto closer to the boundary line behind a rock.

The beast finally got up and its eyes were now red. "Run boy's! I can't go any further. Run!"

Andrew shook his head. "Percy you go ahead and get help I'll hold it off until you get help. Besides I think I figured out this tattoo."

Andrew closed his eyes and focused. The tattoo glowed but instead of the scythe came out a manila colored pouch. He stared at it in disbelief but when he opened it his eyes gleamed.

Shat he pulled out of the pouch was a handful of throwing stars. Percy then saw Andrews face change to excited to neutral as he stared down the Minotaur as if his attitude and personality completely changed.

"Let me show you why I am the strongest and best genin of Konohagakure no sato." Andrew said in a monotone voice to the Minotaur confusing the Jacksons.

He connected the pouch to his back left pocket and took out 10 throwing stars and had five in each hand. Without even blinking the shuriken hit the bellowing beast in numerous places on its chest but was still alive.

He then removed two double edged looking knifes and held them in a reversed grip. He ran towards the beast and scored many slashes across its chest causing it to bellow in even more pain but was not killed.

He then ran under it before it even noticed it was kicked upwards into the sky. But it didn't end there the kicks just kept coming sending it higher into the air. Once they reached a certain height he got behind the half man and grappled him and began spinning in midair towards the fast approaching ground.

Before they made contact he took the two blades and plunged them into its head and ran before it collided with the ground. Andrew was next to the crater panting. "There it should be dead now..."

A loud bellow was heard in the sky. Andrew stared in disbelief as the Minotaur got back up with both blades stuck in its skull with the hilts the only things protruding from its head. Instead of going after Percy, Andrew or the unconscious boys, it charged Sally.

Andrew's eyes widened in shock as did Percy's. With a burst of speed Andrew ran in front of Sally saving her from the horns by taking them in his back. Sally's and Percy's eyes widened in shock and horror as the two horns pierced Andrew's back and sinking deeper in his skin causing him to cry out in pain.

"Andrew!" She yelled as he slumped to the floor with blood pooling on the grass around him. She kneeled down to help him but the monster grabbed her by the neck as she tried to get away. He lifted her as she struggled, kicking and pummeling for air.

"Mom!"

She caught his eyes and managed to choke out one last word: "Go!"

Then with an angry roar the monster closed his fists around Sally's neck and she dissolved before his eyes, melting into light a shimmering golden form.

"NO!"

Percy was furious. Strength coursed through his veins as he got ready to fight. The Minotaur was now sniffing Andrew's slowly dying body. He was about to pick the limp body up in his massive fists but Percy flew into action.

"Hey! Dumbass over here!" Percy yelled gaining the monsters attention. He put his back to the pine tree and taunted the beast planning on jumping at the last moment. I didn't happen that way though. He charged too fast and had his arms outstretched ready to grab him if he dodged.

Time then slowed down.

Percy's legs tensed and he leapt straight up, kicking off the creature's head like a springboard and landed on its neck. The monster tried to shake him off but Percy held a firm grip on the blades that Andrew had plunged into the beast's head. Percy then reached for the horns hoping he could control it a bit and steer it away from his friends.

Grover was groaning about food while Naruto was unconscious and Andrew was laying in his blood which was still pooling around his body which was now convulsing.

Percy got both hands on one horn and pulled back hard. The monster grunted in surprise and pain as the horn broke off with a loud snap. The monster then screamed and flung Percy through the air. He landed on his back on the grass and his head collided with a rock.

His vision was blurry and he had the horn held firmly in hand. The monster charged. Percy rolled to the side and came up kneeling. As it barreled past he drove the horn straight into the side under its ribcage.

The beast roared in agony. He flailed his arms as he disintegrated in a flash of golden light, similar to crumbling sand like Mrs. Dodds had. Then there was nothing left of the creature other than the horn that Percy still held in hand.

The rain finally stopped but the storm still rumbled off in the distance. Percy stood there for a few minutes still processing the fact that his mother just died. Andrew started coughing out blood and convulsing again breaking Percy out of his stupor.

"Andrew!" He knew Naruto and Grover would be fine seeing that they were only unconscious so he hauled Andrew up and staggered down into the valley to the farmhouse crying that his mother was gone but had a firm hold on Andrew.

He collapsed as soon as he walked on the porch and looked up to see a familiar looking beard and a blonde haired girl. "Please help. My friend is injured and two others are unconscious on the other side of the hill. Please."

The two new people's eyes widened. "Annabeth get Charles to help you with the other two while I help these two. Percy felt the man lift Andrew from him and a second later he too fell unconscious.


	6. The myths are real!

Percy woke up lying in a bed, being spoon fed some type of odd but pleasant tasting pudding. The girl with curly blond hair stood over him smirking as she cleaned off his chin with a towel.

When she noticed that he woke up she asked "What will happen at the summer solstice?

He croaked "What?"

She glanced around making sure they were alone. "What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!"

"Sorry, I don't..." They heard someone knock on the door and she shoved the pudding like food in his mouth. Soon after he felt groggy and was out like a light.

The next time he woke up a husky blond guy stood in the corner of the bedroom keeping an eye on me. He had dozens of blue eyes all over his forehead, his cheeks, and the back of his hands. Percy then realized that half of them were focused on him while the rest was looking to the left of him.

Percy was wondering what else he was looking at. He turned his neck to the left as he grunted in pain before his eyes widened in shock. There was another bed in the room and was occupied. But he recognized that it was Andrew. He was laying down face buried in the pillow, on top of blankets and towels with bandages wrapped around his abdomen. They looked new seeing as the blood on them seemed to be only a small spot around the size of fists where the horns punctured him.

He turned his head to face the ceiling. Before he closed his eyes he heard voices. One seemed familiar while the other was new.

"The boy's regeneration rate is amazing! I haven't seen anything like this before in my entire immortal life. For a demigod to have that kind of regeneration is simply amazing. When you guys called me here to heal the boy I barely had to do anything. I'm curious as to who's son he is though... Oh well I am going to be sending some people to help the two new boys. Uncle P asked me to do this in secret for him. The new people will be teaching them some things that cannot be watched by anyone so tell the Naiads, Nymphs, Satyr, and campers to stay away from them when they are training. D knows already and said he's ok with it. Well I got to go. You'll know who they are when they get here."

"Alright thank you for all your help. I hope we meet again."

Percy thought that voice sounded familiar but fell asleep right after a flash of light shone through the bottom of the door.

Percy woke up once again feeling much better but was still in the room. On the nightstand next to him was a tall drink that looked like iced apple juice with a green straw. He tried to reach for it but his hands were still shaking.

"Careful" a familiar voice said to him.

Grover and Naruto sat in chairs next to his bed on opposite sides. Grover looked like he hadn't slept in weeks while Naruto actually looked well rested and clean. Grover wore blue jeans, converse high tops and a bright orange shirt that said CAMP HALF-BLOOD. Naruto was wearing the same clothes.

"I'm sorry Percy. You and Andrew saved my life while I was unconscious. You both saved my life so I thought you might want this." He placed the horn on Percy's lap.

"The Minotaur" he said.

"Percy that's not a good idea-"

"That's what they call him in the myths right?" he said starting to get angry "The Minotaur the half man, half bull."

Grover shifted a bit. "You've been out for three days Percy. How much do you remember?"

"My mom, is she really..."

Grover and Naruto looked down. Percy looked out the window tears stinging his eyes as he saw a grove of trees, a winding stream, acres of strawberries spread out on a clear sunny day. The valley was surrounded by rolling hills and the tallest one was the one with the large pine tree on top.

suddenly a voice came out of nowhere startling all of them. "I'm sorry Percy. I tried to protect her and failed. I should've protected her better."

Percy gaped at him. He witnessed Andrew beat the thing to a pulp. Even he thought it was dead. "Andrew don't beat yourself over it. I saw you beat the crap out of the thing. I didn't think it would be alive after the beating you gave it. Not only that you ran in front of her preventing her from being skewered. Thanks for what you've done."

Andrew was shocked. He wasn't expecting that just like he wasn't expecting Grover's fake legs to fall off all of a sudden.

"Oh, Styx" he mumbled as he tried putting on his fake leg.

Grover was sniffling "It's all my fault, I was supposed to protect you all"

Percy turned to Grover. "Did my mom ask you to protect us?"

He shook his head. "No. It's my job. I'm a keeper, at least... I was."

"Why..." Andrew asked before feeling light headed and dizzy. Percy moved to help but he too felt a wave of nausea hit him.

"Don't strain yourselves. Naruto have Andrew drink the nectar and ambrosia over there." He said as he held the straw as Percy drank from it. He recoiled as he drank it until it was empty. Andrew reacted the same way and finished his as well.

"How do you feel" he asked Percy.

He smirked "Like I could throw Nancy 100 yards."

"Good Andrew if you're feeling ok to walk." He nodded. "Good, let's go meet Chiron and Mr. D. They're waiting for us."

Andrew felt weak as he walked but continued on with Naruto's help. Percy seemed to be doing fine. He was a bit off but was fine. They walked around the farmhouse and saw the north shore of Long Island. Between the house and the shore there were buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture. There was a open air pavilion, an amphitheatre, and a circular arena with their white marble columns sparkling in the sun.

In a nearby sandpit dozens of high school aged kids played volleyball with a bunch of satyrs. Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids wearing the bright orange T-shirts like Grover had clustered around the cabins nestled in the woods.

Some of the kids shot targets in a archery range and some were riding regular and winged horses. "Hah" Andrew shouted pointing at Percy and Naruto. "I told you so! And you two thought they were hawks."

At the end of the porch, two men sat across each other playing cards while the girl who fed Percy that pudding like food was leaning on the porch rail. The man facing them was a small and porky. He had a red nose, big watery eyes and curly black hair. The man wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt and green shorts.

"That's Mr. D. He's the camp director so you want to stay on his good side. The girl over there is Annabeth Chase. She's been a camper here for years and of course you guys already know Chiron..."

He pointed to the other guy who was playing against Mr. D which caused Andrew and Percy to gasp in surprise. "Mr. Brunner!"

He turned and smiled to the boys. "Ah good, Percy, Andrew please take a seat."

Both did. Naruto helped Andrew into his causing him to receive a sympathetic gaze from Chiron. "Andrew how are you feeling."

"Better than I was earlier. Whatever I drank definitely helped."

Mr. D looked at the nearly recovered boys with bloodshot eyes and sighed. "Oh I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. Now don't expect me to be glad to see you." They stayed silent.

"Annabeth?" Mr. Brunner called the blond girl. She walked forward and he introduced them. "Annabeth here was the one who helped nurse you two back to health. Annabeth can you tell Luke that we'll be placing Naruto, Percy and Andrew into his bunk?"

"Sure Chiron"

She was around Percy's age around the same height as Naruto and looked pretty athletic. She had a deep tan, curly blond hair and startling grey eyes. Annabeth's stare made it seem as if she was analyzing the best way to take them down in a fight.

She turned around and sprinted down the lawn towards the cabins.

"So you work here Mr. Brunner?" Percy asked.

He chuckled. "Not Mr. Brunner. That was a pseudonym. My name is Chiron." Percy looked confused but Andrew's eyes were wide as saucers.

Percy then turned to the camp director. "What does Mr. D stand for?"

Mr. D looked at Percy with a hard glare "Young man, names are powerful things. Don't just go around using them for no reason."

"Oh ok"

Andrew was about to ask Chiron a question until he said to both of them "I'm glad to see all three of you alive. It's been a long time since I needed to make a house call for potential campers. I'd hate to think I wasted my time."

"House call?"

"I came to Yancy to instruct you, Percy and Naruto. We have satyrs at most schools keeping a lookout. Grover here alerted me as soon as he met you three. He sensed that you three were special so I came upstate."

"You came to Yancy to teach us?" Percy asked in disbelief.

He nodded "Yes, we contacted your mother letting her know that we kept an eye on you three in case you were ready to come here. Now you three are here alive and that's always the first test."

Andrew then snorted. "I'm sorry to say this Chiron but your tests were always easy. I got 100's on nearly all of them. You need to learn to make harder tests."

Chiron burst into laughter and wiped a tear from his eye. "Ah. You may be right on that Andrew." he said before bursting into laughter again.

"Mr. Bru-Chiron why would you go to Yancy just to teach us?" Percy asked.

"Percy did your mother tell you nothing?" "Not until last night. She said that she was afraid to send me here. She said that once I was here I couldn't leave and that she wanted to keep me close to her."

Mr. D snorted while Chiron sighed. "I'm afraid there's too much to tell. The Orientation film won't be enough."

"Orientation film?"

Chiron was about to explain but Andrew beat him once again. "I understand what he's going to say Percy and you should too. The Greek myths and legends are real. Mrs. Dodds really meant to kill us, we fought the Minotaur, Grover's a satyr it all makes sense if you think about it. Chiron here is the trainer of heroes. I bet that even the Greek and Roman gods are real too right Chiron?"

Chiron had a full blown smile evident on his face and nodded to Andrew's question. "You are correct all the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology are real. Mr. D here is living proof of that."

"I don't believe in gods." Percy muttered.

"Oh you better. Before one of them incinerates you." Mr. D murmured.

"P-please sir. He just lost his mother he's in shock." Grover said.

He grumbled "Bad enough I'm confined to this miserable job working with brats who don't even believe!" Mr. D then waved his hand and a goblet filled with red wine appeared out of thin air.

Andrew and Percy gaped while Naruto already knew this since he saw the Orientation film. Chiron saw this. "Mr. D your restrictions." he warned.

He scowled and the goblet was replaced with a diet coke can. He sighed as he popped it open and continued to play against Chiron.

"Mr. D offended his father a while back. He took fancy to a wood nymph who'd been declared off limits."

Mr. D rambled on about his past with other nymphs and his punishments but they were ignored.

"And his father is..."

He cursed. "Your Dionysus. The god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine as well as madness." Andrew explained.

Mr. D looked at Andrew impressed. "I'm surprised boy. It's takes a while for the brats to figure out who I am. I may start to take a liking to you already."

"Andrew always was the first one to pick up on certain things." Chiron explained causing said boy to blush in embarrassment.

Soon after the game between the two ended with Chiron being the winner. Mr. D got up and told Grover that they needed to talk about his performance and the two took off. Chiron then explained to the boys about the heart of the West and all that junk.

"Alright boys we should get you three a bunk in cabin will be new friends to meet and plenty time for lessons tomorrow. " He then rose from the wheelchair. When had completely got out of the chair he revealed that he was a centaur, a body of a white stallion from the waist down and the upper body was the torso and head of their old Latin teacher.

"Ahh I've been in their for too long. My fetlocks fell asleep. Come boy's, let's meet the other campers.


	7. Percy becomes the Lord of the Bathroom

Andrew and Naruto weren't surprised by his transformation. Naruto saw the orientation film and Andrew figured out that Chiron was actually _THE _Chiron from the myths.

Percy was still in shock but shook it off as the other two weren't phased by it and struggled to keep up. Chiron gave them the tour. They passed the volleyball pit where several campers pointed to Percy and Andrew muttering "It's them"

Most of the other campers were around Andrew's age which was 14. They all wore the orange Camp Half Blood t-shirt as well as the satyrs. They then walked through the strawberry fields where campers were picking them while a satyr played a tune on a reed pipe. Chiron told them how they grew strawberries to help pay the expenses for the camp.

Percy on the other hand was thinking of Grover. "Chiron, will Grover get in a lot of trouble? I mean he was a good protector. Really. If anything it should be my fault he failed." Chiron sighed. "Grover's dreams are unbelievably high. The first step is to show courage by succeeding as a keeper, finding new campers and bringing them here safely."

"But he did that."

"I agree but he needs to be judged by Mr. D and the Council of Cloven Elders. I'm afraid that they might not see it as a success seeing that he was unconscious when Charles brought him over the property line. Not to mention him losing you in Manhattan."

The boys didn't meet his eyes at that last part. They ditched him, thinking that they should have waited. Percy then asked "He'll get a second chance right?"

Chiron shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid that was Grover's second chance. The Council was not anxious to give him another after what happened the first time." The boys looked at him expecting him to explain. When he didn't they didn't press the issue.

Chiron then led the boys to the woods. The forest was huge. It took up at least a quarter of the valley with extremely thick trees. "The woods are stocked, if you boys want to try your luck go in armed."

"Stocked with what?"

"You'll see. Capture the flag is Friday night. Do you boys have your own weapons and armor?" "I've been meaning to talk to you about that Chiron." Andrew said as he showed him his tattoo. "Whenever I focus on the tattoo weapons come out. Here watch."

The tattoo glowed then a cloud of smoke same out with a popping sound. They dispersed and now there were two pistols in each hand. "I'm not sure how it's done but I thought you might have an explanation for it."

Chiron shook his head. "That is something new. I've never seen anything like that before. Some people will be coming tonight that will help you and Naruto."

They continued the tour. They visited the archery range, the stables, the canoeing lake, the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheatre and the arena. The last thing of the tour that they visited was the mess hall. It was an outdoor pavilion framed in white Grecian columns on a hill that overlooked the sea with dozens of stone tables and had no roof or ceiling.

Finally they visited the cabins. There were 12 nestled in the woods by the lake and were arranged in a U with two at the base and five in a row on either side. Each building had a number ranging from 1-12.

Cabin 1 was the biggest and the bulkiest. It had polished bronze doors which shimmered in the light where two lightning bolts streaked across them.

Cabin 2 had slimmer columns then cabin 1 did but was garlanded with pomegranates and flowers while the walls were decorated with peacocks.

"Why are these two empty?" Naruto asked but Chiron didn't hear him. "I'm guessing that each cabin represents each god and goddess?" Andrew said to no one in particular.

"Yes Andrew. Cabins 1 and 2 are for Zeus and Hera. The rest should be easy to tell which god/goddess goes with each cabin."

They got to cabin 3. It was a long low and solid. The outer walls were made of a rough gray stone studded with seashells and coral, as if the slabs came from the ocean floor. Percy took a peek inside until Chiron had started heading to the other cabins.

Cabin 5 was bright red with a nasty paint job. The roof was lined with barbed wire and a stuffed boars head hung over the doorway. The campers of this cabin looked mean and you could see boys and girls arm wrestling and arguing while rock music was being played.

"Chiron where are the other Centaur? I know you're not the only one?"Andrew asked while he grimaced. "My kinsmen are... well enthusiastic. One particular group that is a perfect example is the 'Party Ponies'." He said as he shook his head in embarassment.

"Oh, look Annabeth waiting for us."

She was reading a book in front of the last cabin on the left. Cabin 11.

Andrew looked at the book. "Hey is that book on Greek architecture?" She was surprised and nodded. "Yes. I hope to build something that'll last centuries like the stuff in this book..." The two were cut off when Chiron said "Annabeth, I have master's archery class at noon. Can you take them from here?"

"Yes sir"

Chiron walked off and she turned to the boys. "This is cabin 11 where you all are staying." Cabin 11 looked like an average cabin you'd see in a regular camp. The only thing that stood out was the caduceus hung above the doorway. Inside the cabin was packed. There were way more kids than bunks so many of them had places on the floor with sleeping bags.

The kids looked at them, sizing the three boys up. Percy tripped making them all snicker but didn't say anything. Annabeth then announced "Andrew, Naruto, Percy meet cabin 11."

"Regular or undetermined?" one of the boys in the back asked. "Undetermined" They all groaned. A guy that looked older than the rest then walked up to them. "Welcome to cabin 11 Andrew, Percy Naruto. You can have those spots over there." He said pointing to a spot big enough for all three of them.

He was around nineteen. He was tall and muscular, with shirt and croppy sand colored hair and had a friendly smile. He was wearing a orange tank top cut offs, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with 5 odd looking beads. He also had a white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw line.

"The names Luke. I'm the camp counselor for now. Nice to meet you guys." he said as he shook each of there hands.

"What do you mean for now?" Naruto asked confused.

"Your undetermined. They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you three are here. Cabin 11 takes all newcomers, and visitors. Our patron and father is Hermes, the god of travelers."

The three finally got a good look at the other campers. Some of them looked depressed while others were grinning like idiots, some eyed them as if waiting for the right chance to pickpocket them.

"How long will we be here?" Andrew asked.

Luke shrugged. "That's until your determined but sometimes that might not even happen."

"Guys follow me." Annabeth told the boys. When they got a good distance away from the cabins she said "You guys need to do better than that."

They looked at her in confusion. "I can't believe I thought you were who I was looking for. Maybe Andrew has a better chance than you two do."

"What are you talking about? We just got here. Sure we... no Percy killed the Minotaur but what are you expecting of us?" Andrew asked.

She didn't say anything. "But what I want to know is how it's still alive. Theseus killed it a long time ago in the labyrinth."

She sighed. "Monsters don't die. They can be killed but they don't die. Since they have no souls they dispel for a while but they reform over time. Like the kindly One you three fought she'll be back angrier than before."

Percy then started complaining about the thunder and was frustrated with not being able to understand it. He then ranted as to why they are stuck in a crowded cabin when there were empty cabins.

"Percy you don't choose a cabin it depends on who your parent is. The one you've never met before."

"He's dead. I never knew him."

She sighed. "He's not dead Percy. You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us." She explained the average life of most of the campers and Percy realized that they all went through the same type of life. "Hell you wouldn't even survived the ambrosia and nectar we gave you."

He looked confused so she elaborated. "The food and drink we gave you while you were healing. It would have killed a normal kid. It would've turned your blood to fire and bones to sand. Face it you three are half-bloods."

Realization hit Andrew as he pieced it together. Son of Hermes, camp with armory, Half-bloods, and Chiron... "We're demigods..." Andrew muttered.

Before Percy could ask what he meant one of the girls from the red cabin "Well what do we have here? Newbie!" She had three other girls behind her dressed in camo jackets.

"Clarisse go polish your spear or something" Annabeth sighed.

"Sure Princess" the biggest one said. "So I can run you through with it on Friday night." She scoffed "You don't have a chance."

Clarisse growled "We'll pulverize you." She then turned to the boys "Who're the runts?" Andrew answered "Names Andrew Namikaze, the blond one next to me is Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze my cousin and the other one is Percy Jackson."

She grunted "Clarisse, daughter of Ares."

Percy blinked "The war god." She sneered at him "You got a problem with that?" "No it explains the bad smell." She growled and grabbed him around the neck and started to drag him to the bathrooms.

Andrew sighed knowing Percy would start a fight on their first day out of the infirmary and followed them with Annabeth and Naruto behind him.

Percy tried to get out of her grip but she was too strong. She dragged him into the girls bathroom and brought him to one of the stalls while Clarisse and her friends were laughing. "Like he's 'Big Three' material. The Minotaur probably fell over laughing."

"No. He hadn't." They turned their heads to Andrew, Naruto and Annabeth who was behind them. "What do you mean by that runt?" The tattoo on his wrist glowed and a pouch came out. Everyone was surprised except for Percy who was still struggling to break free. Andrew fished out several throwing stars and double edged knifes and held them in hand showing them to everyone.

"I fought the thing with everything I had using these weapons. I thought I killed it when I stabbed two of them into its forehead but I was wrong. It charged at Percy's mom when I wasn't expecting it. I ran in front of her stopping her from being skewered as you can tell." He said as he pointed to the bandages wrapped around his abdomen.

She snorted "The runt is still going to get it for disrespecting my father." She bent Percy's head over on his knees and started pushing his head into the toilet bowl. He strained to keep his head up trying to avoid the water. Then something happened the plumbing started to rumble and pipes shuddered.

Andrew's and Naruto's eyes widened remembering what happened last time and ran out of there dragging Annabeth with them. Water shot out of the toilet above Percy's head and splashed Clarisse and her friends behind him.

Percy turned around to see water from the faucets shower heads and toilets splashing the girls. The water forced the girls out of the bathroom and the water stopped coming out. Percy got up and realized that not only was he on the only dry spot in the room he was completely dry as well. Annabeth stared at him in shock.

"How did you..."

"I don't know." Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud and a bunch of campers gathered and gawked. She glared at Percy you are so dead new boy."

Annabeth stared at the boys and said "I think I want you guys on my team for capture the flag."


	8. Events at dinner

Word of the incident at the bathroom spread like wildfire. Wherever Percy want the campers would point and murmur something about toilet water.

She showed them a few other places they haven't seen yet such as the metal shop where kids were forging their own swords, the arts and crafts room where satyrs were sandblasting a marble statue of a satyr, and the climbing wall which was two walls facing each other that shook, dropped boulders, sprayed lava and clashed together if you didn't get to the top fast enough. They made it back to the canoeing lake where she said "I've got training to do. See you at 7:30 for dinner." She then turned to Percy. "You need to talk to the Oracle"

"Who?"

"The Oracle. I'll ask Chiron." Percy then noticed two girls sitting at the base of the pier who waved to him. Percy waved back. "Don't encourage them. They're terrible flirts Naiads."

Percy shook his head which was still processing everything. Andrew then asked "So, are all the campers here demigods?"

She nodded "Yes. Whenever a campers Olympian parent gives them a sign revealing that the camper is their child who is then transferred to their cabin. That's why you guys are in cabin 11 right now."

"Who's your Olympian parent?" She straightened "Athena. Goddess of wisdom and battle." Andrew nodded his head in understanding. "That explains your into architecture."

She tightened he fist. "Sometimes they don't show a sign. They're busy. They have tons of kids and well...sometimes they don't care for us. They ignore us." They remember seeing all the sullen and depressed kids in cabin 11.

"So we're stuck here then." Naruto said upset. "It depends. The children of some gods like Aphrodite or Demeter don't attract many monsters, but for the others it's too dangerous to leave. Out of camp we attract monsters like moths to light. Few manage to survive and become famous. In camp tough, we are safe. Monsters can't get past the boundary unless they are already stocked in the woods or as jokes."

"...So... I could walk out of here right now without any problems?" Percy asked a little hopefully. "It'd be suicide but yes, with Mr. D's or Chiron's permission. But they won't until the end of summer solstice unless you were granted a quest."

"What exactly is going on about the summer solstice. I remember overhearing Grover and Chiron when he was our teacher talking about some kind of deadline. What do they mean?" Naruto asked.

She clenched her fists. "I wish I knew. Chiron and the satyrs know but wont say anything. Something major happened. Last time I was there everything was normal." "You've been to Olympus?" Andrew asked in surprise.

"Yes, some of the year rounders took a field trip there during the winter solstice. That's when the gods have their big annual council." "Where is Olympus located?" Andrew and Naruto asked a little excitedly. "The Empire State Building. There's a special elevator that goes up to the 600th floor. That's where Olympus is." "Oh" "After we visited, the weather got weird as if the gods started fighting. A couple times I overheard the satyrs talking. They've been saying something was stolen and if it isn't brought back by summer solstice, there's going to be trouble. When you three came I was hoping... I mean Athena can get along with anyone except for Ares, and has the rivalry between Poseidon but aside from that, I thought we could work together. I thought you guys might've known something."

They shook their heads and she muttered "I've got to get a quest. If they'd just tell me the problem..." she was brought out of her musings when Naruto's and Andrew's stomachs growled loudly which they then blushed in embarrassment.

"You guys go ahead I'll see you at dinner." Naruto and Percy then headed back to the cabin while Andrew stayed with Annabeth. "Hey can you help me take the bandages off. I would've asked Naruto or Percy but if I needed more bandages they'd have no idea how to dress the wound properly." "Sure"

She helped unwrap the bandages around Andrew and gasped causing Andrew to worry. "What's the matter? Is it infected?" She shook her head and said with awe "There's nothing there now. No scars or anything! That's simply amazing!" Andrew was shocked but then shrugged it off. "Okay, thanks Annabeth. I'll see you at dinner." He threw the bandages in a nearby garbage can and headed to cabin leaving her at the pier doing something that looked like drawing a battle plan.

Back at cabin 11everyone was talking amongst themselves. Percy was talking to Luke while Naruto was talking to the Stoll brothers about pranks. Andrew shuddered at the thought of Naruto's pranks in school. If the best prankster in school was mixing plans with the two best prankster demigods... Half Blood Hill will be in some serious trouble. He walked over to Percy and Luke who saw him.

"Ah, Andrew I got you guys some sleeping bags and toiletries from the camp store. "Thanks" Off in the distance a horn blew letting them know that it was time for dinner. Everyone in the cabin filed into the common yard like the campers from the other cabins.

They marched up the hill to the mess hall pavilion. Satyrs joined them from the meadow, Naiads emerged from the canoeing lake, while a few girls came from the woods and trees. There were around one hundred campers, a few dozen satyrs, and a dozen wood nymphs and Naiads.

At the pavilion torches blazed around the marble columns. A central fire blazed burned in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. Each cabin had their own table that was covered with a white cloth trimmed in purple. There were four empty tables but cabin 11's table was overcrowded. Andrew and Naruto were given lawn chairs and sat at the end of the table while Percy was sitting at the edge of the bench practically falling off the thing.

Grover was at table 12with Mr. D, a few other satyrs, a couple of plump blond boys that looked like Mr. D, Chiron stood off to the side with three new people. Annabeth sat at table 6 with a bunch of athletic looking kids that also had grey eyes and honey blond hair.

Clarisse sat at the Ares table laughing and belching along with her friends who seemed to have gotten over being hosed down earlier. Chiron pounded his hoof on the marble floor causing everyone to go quiet. He raised his glass and shouted "To the Gods!" which all the campers echoed in response.

Wood nymphs came forward with platters of assorted food. Everyone filled their plates. The boys were about to eat until they saw the campers got up and go to the fire. They decided to do the same. As they noticed that everyone took a portion of their meal and threw it into the fire.

Luke murmured to the three "Burnt offerings to the gods" He approached to the fire bowed his head and tossed in a cluster of red grapes. "Hermes" They were next but no idea what to say. They scraped there food into the fire thinking the same thing 'Whoever you are, please tell me.'

When everyone returned to their seats they started eating dinner. Once everyone was done Chiron, Mr. D and the three new people got up and stood in front of the pavilion so that everyone could see them.

The first one is a man of average height and build. He has brown hair is in a ponytail, dark eyes and a scar that runs across the bridge of his nose. He is wearing a long blue sleeve shirt with a red swirling symbol on the upper part of his sleeves and pants, a bandana with a metal plating that had symbol of a leaf carved in the center of it sandals and a flak jacket. His sleeves are also rolled up about ¼ way.

The second one was a man as well. Most of his face was covered by a face mask he wore and had the bandana with the leaf symbol wrapped around his head covering his left eye so that all you could see of his face was his right eye and has gravity defying gray hair. His outfit looked exactly like the other man's. The only difference was that he wore iron plated gloves. Right now the man was currently reading a little orange book which the title was written in Japanese.

The last one was a woman. She had a slender, but feminine build, fair skin, red eyes and long bright red hair. She wore a black kimono and adorned on the back of it was nine red tails. She also wore a dark blue band on her left wrist and pale purple sandals. She wore the odd bandana with the leaf symbol on it around her left arm. She was looking at her nails but her gaze always lingered to Andrew and Naruto.

Chiron pounded his hoof to get everyone's attention. Mr. D sighed and said "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Chiron says that the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin 5 currently has the laurels."

A bunch of cheers rose from the Ares table. "I couldn't care less but congratulations. We also have three new campers today. Andrew Namikaze, Naru Uzuki, and Peter Johnson." Chiron murmured something to him while the three new people snickered at Naruto's new nickname. "Er, Naruto Uzumaki and Percy Jackson. Now we have three guests from the Japanese myths."

He narrowed his eyes while the campers murmured. "They are the equivalent to demigods where they come from but are different in many ways. The gods where they come from give them a special aura called chakra that they use for many things. But what allows them to use their 'abilities' is actually their own blood. Their aura in their bodies adapt to differentiate among them. Let me introduce Kojoro Juu..."

The woman bows to all of them but kept her gaze on Andrew and Naruto which confused the boys. "...Iruka Umino..." Iruka smiles and says "It's a pleasure to be here." "and Kak..." Out of nowhere a portal opened in front of them with someone yelling "HATAKE BAKA YOU'RE DEAD!"

Said shinobi paled as he recognized the voice. "Fuck!" He started to run for his life when a woman appeared out of the portal with a look of pure anger in her eyes which slightly scared even Mr. D. She had violet hair done up in a short, somewhat spiky ponytail and wore a tan overcoat, complete with a fitted mesh body suit that stretches from her neck down to her thighs. Anko Mitarashi.

"Oh no Kakashi baka. You're not getting away from me that easily." She bit her thumb did some hand seals and hit the ground with her hands while shouting "SUMMONING JUTSU!" A fifty foot boa appeared in a puff of smoke scaring and surprising everyone in the pavilion when it swallowed Kakashi.

It didn't last long though. Everyone could see the snakes body glowing from the inside and before they knew it they heard Kakashi yell out "**CHIDORI**!" He burst through the snake with a hand completely covered in lightning. and the snakes body then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Anko grit her teeth and took out two kunai and charged. Kakashi did the same and parried her blows. She then started yelling. "You knew all this time and didn't tell me!" "Yes all three of us knew. If we told you, you'd be doing the same thing you're doing now!" They parried blows. "I don't care. I had my team for five days. FIVE DAYS! I was finally going to ask for a C rank mission but they disappeared. I looked everywhere!" The Ares table was cheering for the fight.

Her eyes started to tear up as she attacked him furiously. "You weren't there Hatake. You were out on a mission that day. The day of the Kyuubi festival they were attacked by a mob again. I was on a mission going to be back the next day. The mob caught them and beat them. The ass Fugaku and the ANBU watching him aided in the fight. When I got back the next day when they got out of the hospital I was talking to Hokage sama. I asked him to use the orb to look at the boys to see how they were doing. You want to know what we saw?"

Everyone was silent. Even the kids at the Ares table shut up when they heard her get so emotionally wrecked and she stopped attacking. "Somehow the two got two kunai and you want to what happened?" She looked ready to break down and cry which she was. "Two five year olds trying to commit suicide."

Stunned silence. Kojoro looked down in shame but no one noticed meanwhile Kakashi's single eye was the size of a dinner plate as his kunai fell to the ground. Iruka was in the same boat. He never really knew what happened to them outside of the academy and couldn't help but tear up after hearing what had happened.

Even Mr. D stood there in shock. He was the god of madness. He wondered what could have been so bad that two FIVE year olds were trying to commit suicide. "They repeatedly stabbed themselves. Hokage sama and I were so shocked that we couldn't move as we saw them stab themselves in the chest. I am a torture expert and even I couldn't break people that much. I finally was able to move and sprinted to their apartment. When I got there they were laying in a puddle of their own blood barely breathing."

She couldn't contain it anymore and started bawling. Most of the campers started to tear up as well as Chiron. He has been through many deaths but nothing was as horrid as this. Anko hiccupped "I picked them both up and brought them to the hospital as fast as possible with the Hokage. They got to work immediately. They stabilized their condition but Hokage sama had Inoichi san lock away those memories away. When they disappeared I thought they finally..."

She didn't get to finish when Naruto and Andrew shot up in their seats surprising everyone shouting "INU SAN! ANKO SENSEI!" She turned her head as well as Kakashi, so fast they all thought it was going to snap with their eyes wide. However Kojoro was dumbstruck. '_How do they remember it should be impossible! Paladin and I locked away their memories! Unless...'_

"Na..." Anko was shut up when Kojoro chopped her neck making Anko fall unconscious. Chiron and Mr. D looked at her wanting an explanation. She merely said "Right now she is emotionally distraught. Right now this is the best thing for her."

They nodded. "Well campers after this... interesting event I think we all should head to bed." All the campers headed back to their bunks thinking back on what happened while Andrew and Naruto were holding their heads in pain.

Kojoro sighed in relief that things didn't escalate. She really didn't want anyone to hear of **that** particular night. Also she didn't want anyone to know that Andrew and Naruto were from the Elemental Nations at least not yet...

But Anko screwed up the plan. And now she was paying the price. The campers will ask questions... well mostly the Athena cabin... not to mention Dionysius and Chiron but it'll be easier to explain to them. _'Damn you Anko!'_

When all the campers made it to their cabins Mr. D and Chiron looked at the shinobi expectantly. "Everything will be explained on the summer solstice." They nodded accepting the response. Chiron then said "There are two bedrooms with two beds in each inside the Big House you four could sleep in. Goodnight."


	9. Capture the Flag Parents revealed

The next few days the boys got into a routine. Each morning they'd study ancient Greek with Annabeth. As for the rest of the day they did many outdoor activities. The day after the incident they did archery, foot racing, wrestling, canoeing, metalworking and tried to work with vine plants. As they did these activities the other campers and counselors tried to figure out their Olympian parent.

In archery Andrew excelled. He got each shot inside the bull's-eye. Naruto did decent. He got a few in the target but was far from perfect and Percy, well... Chiron had to desnag an arrow from his tail.

For foot racing, both Naruto and Andrew didn't have the speed of a wood nymph but they definitely had the stamina to keep up with them. Percy was left in the dust and a little humiliated.

Wrestling? Percy would get pounded every time by none other than Clarisse. Andrew didn't really have a chance either but actually put up a decent fight. Naruto was a mix. He would either lose horribly or beat them to a pulp.

Percy excelled in canoeing however. Andrew and Naruto found out who his father was due to seeing as powers already in action more than once. Andrew broke one of the oars as he hit a rock and Naruto, well... no one has any idea how he even managed to flip the canoe.

All three of them quickly found out they couldn't use the forge. On the bright side Andrew made friends with Charles Beckendorf son of Hephaestus. Andrew asked if he could make two sets of 2 dozen kunai and shuriken out of celestial bronze for him and Naruto, which he happily complied. Andrew gave him one kunai and shuriken so he could make the mold for both weapons. Within the hour the weapons were done. He thanked Charles for the weapons and handed Naruto the other pouch full of weapons.

For the last activity of the day they had to work with vine plants but had no luck whatsoever. For Andrew some thought Apollo due to his archery skills but that was quickly doused when he tried to sing. For Naruto and Percy the rest of the campers thought their parent might be one of the minor gods.

On Thursday morning Percy was off with cabin 11 doing sword fighting lessons with Luke as a instructor. Andrew and Naruto were excused when Kakashi and Kojoro pulled them off into the woods.

"Where's Iruka?" Naruto asked

Kakashi and Kojoro burst into laughter when he asked. Kakashi wiped a tear away "He's being interrogated by the Athena cabin." This brought another round of laughter from the two and the boys as well.

When Kojoro calmed down she then walked up to the boys tapped them both on the forehead causing them to fall unconscious. "Are you sure about this?" "Yes Kakashi. They are going to be going on a quest and unlocking their memories of chakra and their jutsu, **especially **their bloodlines will be needed. You're role here is to help them with their taijutsu after they wake up in the arena where they are holding the sword fighting lessons. After go with weapon combat. Once that's done we'll head back... at least when the Athena cabin stops bombarding Iruka with questions on chakra and what we can do with it."

Ten minutes later both boys woke up. "So what do you remember?" Both looked at each other and nodded. Andrew put his hands in the Hebi seal and the shadows of the trees bound Kakashi before he could even realize what was going on and Naruto summoned his blade and was now tickling his neck with it with a grin on his face.

"Quite a bit. Inu san." Both saw the grin on his face despite him wearing the mask. The shadows retreated and Naruto removed the katana from his neck. "Alright guys lets go to the arena to check on your taijutsu.

They got to the arena and saw Percy sparring with Luke and the rest of cabin 11 sparring in pairs. After the last exchange cabin 11 swarmed to the coolers. "Hey guys what's up!" They all turn to the trio and waved as they neared them.

Luke walked near to them and asked with a frown "Why didn't you guys join us for lessons." Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly but didn't respond. Kakashi saved him from the interrogation. "They came to me and Kojoro about the marks on their wrists. It turns out there from our world called storage seals. We were curious as to why they had them since they don't have chakra. Storage seals allow the user to store anything of any size into it like a sword, rations, water, you name it."

"Wow that's so cool! Can I have one?" a random camper asked. Kakashi shook his head. "Sorry, I have no idea how to make one. But I do know how to use it. I was teaching them to use it and I was surprised with what came out of the seals. That's why we're here now."

Luke smiled. "Okay I'd like to see that as well as the cabin. I was actually about to show everyone a disarming technique. Percy you mind helping me out?" He shrugged and walked to the center as everyone made a circle around them.

They soon started and swords were clanging. Percy countered many of his strikes and tried to thrust his of his own. Luke deflected it as his eyes narrowed and pressed with more force. Everyone could tell the balance of Percy's blade was off but didn't say anything. Percy then decided to perform the disarming maneuver.

The blade hit the base of Luke's and he twisted putting as much weight into a downward thrust.

_Clang_

Luke's sword rattled against the stones with Percy's blade inches from Luke's undefended chest. Naruto and Andrew began cheering. "Go Percy!" Even Kakashi was impressed with the move for the rookie.

The other campers were silent. Percy lowered his sword. "Um, sorry." Luke was stunned. "Sorry?" He asked as his face broke into a grin. "By the gods, Percy, why are you sorry? Show me that again!" They did another exchange only this time Percy's sword went flying.

"Beginner's luck?" Connor and Travis Stoll asked simultaneously. Luke wiped the sweat off his brow. "I don't think so. But I wonder what you could do with a balanced sword Percy. Well lets watch Andrew and Naruto and see how they do."

Everyone made a huge circle to give them room. "Armed or unarmed?" "Armed"

Andrew and Naruto put their hands over the storage seals as they glowed. Two loud pops were heard and the scythe and Katana were now out. The skull's eye sockets glowing an ominous red and the katana seemed to ebb a black aura.

Everyone was shocked and awed at the new weapons except for Percy. Kakashi took out two kunai and took a stance. None of them moved as they waited to see who'd strike first. Naruto being impatient charged at Kakashi and swung his sword at a angle. He parried the swing and thrust forward. Naruto dodged left and Andrew was behind Kakashi with the scythe coming down.

Kakashi whirled around and blocked the scythe by interlocking the kunai. He put his weight into the push and the scythe went flying backwards out of Andrew's hands. He was about to rush Andrew but Naruto was already on him attacking furiously. He managed to block all the strikes but was starting to pant.

'_How much stamina do these two have? It's insane... never mind. If Naruto could outrun five ANBU, three Jounin and 6 Chunin at age 6 it's no surprise.'_ He thought as Andrew came at him with renown force.

Naruto managed to disarm him by hitting his hands with the butt of the blade. He was surprised by the move and wasn't fast enough when once again the katana was at his neck. But things were different this time as Andrew's scythe was now poised upwards towards his most vulnerable spot. The groin.

Everyone was awed by the display that was seen and started clapping. "That was amazing! I've never seen fighting like that! What are those weapons they're so cool!" Were the comments they heard when the fight was over.

Naruto loving the attention bowed in response grinning like a maniac. Andrew laughed at his cousin as well as Kakashi knowing his ego would rise to unimaginable levels.

Friday afternoon the boys and Grover were sitting at the lake resting after they did the climbing wall. Grover did fine but Percy almost got hit by the spewing lava. When no one was looking Andrew and Naruto used their chakra to stick to the walls and ran up them.

They sat down and watched the Naiads do underwater basket weaving. Percy asked how the conversation went with Mr. D which he muttered sadly to himself. "Is your career still on track?"

He looked at them. "Chiron told you I want a searcher's license?"

Andrew interrupted. "No, he said that you had plans and that you needed credit for completing a keepers assignment." He then had a concerned look on his face. "Did you get it?"

Grover looked down at the Naiads. "He said I didn't fail or succeed. So we're still together. He said if any of you get a quest and came back alive then he'd consider it a job complete."

"That's not so bad, right?" Percy said trying to help his friend.

"_Bla-ha-ha!_ He might as well have transferred me to stable cleaning duty. The chances of you getting a quest..."

"I won't be so sure of that Grover. With things going on about something being stolen I think someone might be taking a quest to retrieve it. It's possible and it could be one of us."

They talked about their time at camp until Percy asked about the empty cabins. "Cabin 8, the silver cabin, belongs to Artemis." "She vowed to be a maiden forever. So of course no kids. It's honorary. If she didn't have one, she'd be mad."

"Yeah okay but the other three, the ones at the end. Are those the Big Three?"

"No, Percy. From the looks of it, it's only the gods who live on Olympus. So my guess is that cabin 1 is Zeus, 2 is Hera and 3 is Poseidon." Andrew explained.

"Yes your right Andrew." "But didn't Zeus and Poseidon have tons of kids. Why are their cabins no more empty?" Grover shuffled his hooves uncomfortably. "Almost 60 years ago after World War 2 the Big Three agreed they wouldn't sire any more heroes. Their children were just too powerful and were affecting the course of human events too much, causing too much carnage. World War 2 was basically a fight between Zeus and Poseidon's kids and the children of Hades. Zeus and Poseidon won and made Hades swear an oath with them to have affairs with mortal women. They all swore on the River Styx."

Thunder boomed.

"And the brothers kept their word, no kids." Percy asked. Grover's face darkened. "Seventeen years ago, Zeus broke it. There was this TV starlet with a fluffy eighties hairdo. He couldn't stay help himself. When their child was born, a little girl named Thalia... well the River Styx is serious about promises. Zeus was fine since he was immortal but brought a terrible fate on his daughter."

"But that's not fair! It wasn't her fault."

Grover hesitated. "Percy, children of the Big Three have powers greater than other demigods. Their auras attract monsters a lot more than any other demigod. When Hades found out he was pissed. He let the worst monsters out of Tartarus to torment Thalia. A satyr was assigned to be her keeper when she was 12, but there was nothing he could do. He tried to escort her here with several demigods she had befriended. They almost made it. They got all the way to the top of that hill." He pointed to the hill where the pine tree is that they first saw since entering camp. "All three Kindly Ones were after them, along with a hoard of hellhounds. They were about to be overrun when Thalia told the satyr to take the other demigods to safety while she held off the monsters. The satyr didn't want to leave her but couldn't change her mind and protected the others. Thalia made her final stand alone on the top of that hill. As she died Zeus tool pity on her and turned her into a pine tree. Her spirit helps protect the borders of the valley. That's why the hill is called Half-Blood Hill."

They all looked at the tree in the distance saddened by the story. That night after dinner the shinobi left home, however there was a lot more excitement than usual. It was time for Capture the Flag. The campers yelled and cheered as Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion carrying a silk banner that was 10 feet long, glistening gray with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree.

On the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her buddies ran un with another banner of the same size but gaudy red, painted with a bloody spear and boar's head. Percy turned to Luke. "Those the flags?"

"Yeah"

"Does the Athena and Ares cabin always lead the teams?" Andrew asked. "Not always but often." Naruto then asked "Whose team are we on?" He gave them a sly look. "We've made a temporary alliance with the Athena cabin. Tonight, we get the flag from the Ares cabin and you three are going to help."

The teams were announced. Athena allied themselves with the Apollo and Hermes while Ares allied with the rest of the cabins. Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble. "Heroes! You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed and have no more than two guards. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"

He spread out his hands and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, ox hide shields coated in metal and many other things. Luke handed Percy armor, a shield and a sword.

When Naruto and Andrew stood off to the side with their arms crossed everyone looked at them like they were crazy. Both had grins threatening to fall off their faces. They had the hands with the storage seals on them outstretched and the scythe and katana appeared in their hands.

The eye sockets of the skull had flames dancing out of them and he blade of the katana seemed to draw the darkness of the night. They heard several gulps from the opposing team while everyone on theirs had grins as well. Even Chiron couldn't hide the smirk on his face.

"Blue team forward!" The teams cheered and headed off. They walked up to Annabeth to learn the battle plan. "Andrew, Naruto, Percy you three will have border patrol. I have a plan and I need you three there. Be careful of Clarisse's spear."

She pushed ahead and left them behind. It was a warm and humid night. The woods were dark with fireflies popping in and out of view. The boys were stationed next to a little creek that gurgles over some rocks as Annabeth and the rest of the team scattered into the trees.

Far away the horn blew where they heard whoops, yells, swords clashing and kids fighting. An Apollo kid ran past them with bow in hand straight into enemy territory. Naruto whined "Aw come on! We're going to miss all the fun."

Andrew hit him on the back of the head scolding him that it's an important role meanwhile Percy mentally agreed with Naruto so he wouldn't face the wrath of Andrew. Then all of a sudden they hear several low canine growls.

They tensed turned around with weapons poised ready to strike at any moment. Then all of a sudden the growling stopped and the animals or whatever it was left. On the other side of the creek 10 Ares kids including Clarisse came yelling and screaming out of the dark.

"Cream them!" Clarisse screamed.

She glared through the slits of her helmet. She brandished a five foot long spear, it's barbed metal tip flickering with a red light. Her siblings had only standard issue bronze swords. They broke into three groups. Two fought Andrew, two fought Naruto and the rest ganged up on Percy.

Andrew parried the blows with ease and forced them back by swinging horizontally almost leaving slashing them. Naruto was in the same boat. He managed to disarm one of them and made him surrender while he was still trading blows with the other kid.

Percy on the other hand was having trouble. He was fighting 6 of them. He managed to sidestep the first kids swing. Five of them surrounded Percy and Clarisse. She thrust her spear at him which he deflected with his shield. It deflected the blow but his body tingled, his hair rose and his arm holding the shield went numb.

_'Her spear was electric.' _Another Ares kid slammed him in the chest forcing Percy onto the ground. The Ares kids not fighting Andrew or Naruto began laughing. "Give him a haircut. Grab his hair." Clarisse said.

Percy managed to get back on his feet and hold his sword up but Clarisse slammed it aside with her spear making both of his arms go numb. "Oh wow" Clarisse said. "I'm scared of this guy. Really scared."

"The flag's that way." he said. "We don't care about the flag. We care about a guy who made our cabin look stupid." "You did that without my help." he told them. Two of them ran to him. Percy backed into the creek and tried to raise his shield but Clarisse was too fast and her spear struck him straight in the ribs. After being shocked by the spear one of her siblings slashed his sword on Percy's arm leaving a good size cut.

Percy started to feel dizzy, warm and cold at the same time. "No maiming" he barely managed to say. "Oops. Guess I lost my dessert privilege." He pushed Percy into the creek laughing with his siblings. The water seemed to help Percy and make him feel like he could fight the minotaur again but no one noticed. Suddenly it felt as if a pressure was put into the air. Everyone felt it both in the woods and outside it.

They all turned to see an terrifying sight. An orange aura began to glow around Naruto and shadow tendrils danced around Andrew. Both desummoned their weapons. Naruto got on all fours as his nails grew, his whisker marks became more prominent, eyes turned red and became slitted, as he grew a tail from the aura. Andrew's shadow grew, turned a pitch black color and transformed into a dragon with two giant wings.

All of a sudden they heard yelling, elated screams, they saw Luke racing towards the boundary line with the red teams banner lifted high flanked by Hermes kids and a few Apollos behind him fighting off Hephaestus kids.

Luke made it to friendly territory and cheering was heard from our side. When they crossed the banner changed to a silver color and the symbols were changed to a caduceus. Everyone picked up Luke except for Andrew and Naruto still with their auras flared and Percy who now stood up.

The game was over they won. Percy then heard Annabeth's voice "Not bad hero. Where'd you learn to fight like that?" She materialized into existence holding a Yankees hat. He got angry. "You set me up! You put me here because you knew Clarisse would come after me while you had Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out."

She shrugged "I told you Athena always has a plan. I came as fast as I could. I was going to jump in but you didn't need help." She then noticed his wounded arm. "How'd you do that?" "Sword cut"

"No. It was a sword cut. Look at it." The blood was gone. Where the cut was there was a huge white scar and that was fading as well. As he watched it disappeared. Annabeth searched the area then told Percy "Step out of the creek."

He listened and immediately he felt tired and weak. "Oh Styx. This is not good, I thought it would've been Zeus..."

The canine growls were heard again this time louder. The cheering died instantly and Chiron called for someone to bring his bow. The pressure in the air intensified. People were gasping for air now. Mr. D materialized in the area.

"What's going on here. I was playing pinochle until this goddamn pressure came out of nowhere." he demanded. The shadow dragon behind Andrew flung it's talons behind the underbrush as well as Naruto's tail.

Several yelps of surprise and pain were heard the same time a black hound the size of a rhino with lava red eyes and fangs like daggers jumped out and slashed at Percy cutting through the armor and creating several gash marks on his chest before dissolving into dust as many arrows pierced its hide.

Naruto's tail rose revealing another hound impaled by it and dissolved. In the shadow dragon's talons were two of the beasts. It brought both to its gaping maw and bit off the heads turning them into dust.

"_Di immortales!_" Annabeth said. "Those were hellhounds from the Fields of Punishment. They don't... they're not supposed to..."

"Someone summoned it. Someone inside the camp." Chiron said. Annabeth then turned to Percy "Your wounded. Get into the water." "I'm okay..." "Percy just listen to her" Andrew said in frustration and worry.

He sighed and stepped into the creek with everyone from the camp including Mr. D gathered around him. Instantly the cuts on his chest closed while everyone gasped while Mr. D cursed. "Damn! Barnacle Beard broke the oath too."

Percy was confused. He thought they were watching the wounds closed but realized that they were staring above his head. He looked up and saw a fading image of a three tipped spear: a trident.

"Poseidon," Chiron said. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."

All of a sudden the shadow dragon behind Andrew turned into a black sphere and moved directly above his head as well as the orange aura around Naruto.

Above Andrew the black sphere widened revealing a image of a knight in grey armor in front of a silhouette of a five headed dragon. Above Naruto the aura transformed scaring Naruto. It had transformed into an image of a fox with nine swaying tails.

Everyone looked at the images in confusion. They have never heard of those deities or have seen their symbol but Mr. D had and gasped in shock. "I-It's impossible." he stuttered.

"Who are they Mr. D? I have never heard or seen these gods or their symbol of power before." Chiron asked as he turned in his direction. "Of course you haven't they aren't from this dimension in the first place." Several gasps were heard. "Paladin, the grey knight, creator of the elements, the five headed dragon, Hyakubi no ryū, the deity of neutrality, considered one of the Big Three of another dimension. The other is the Kyuubi no Kitsune, Demon Lord, minor god of deceit, cunning , and treachery of the same dimension.

Suddenly Kojoro came in a smaller version of her demon form. "That is correct Dionysus. I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Both Andrew and Naruto have a reason for being here and will not leave until the summer solstice. Make sure when that day everyone including Hades and Persephone are on Olympus are there as well. Other than that all the questions you all have will be answered then."


	10. Recieving the quest

The next morning Chiron moved Percy to cabin 3. He had no idea what to do with Andrew and Naruto since their godly parents aren't from this dimension. Mr. D told Chiron that during the last millennium conference Paladin and Poseidon became friends and allies.

Based on what Mr. D told him he decided to have Andrew and Naruto move to cabin 3 as well. Because of all this Percy began to feel miserable. Sure he was bunking with his friends but the place he finally settled into, he is now being separated out like he had some rare disease.

No one mentioned the hellhound but it definitely scared everyone. The three did sword fighting lessons with Luke one on one. Well actually when it was between Luke and Andrew is was mostly dodging so that he didn't get sliced to ribbons from the black and red blade.

Now it was a fight between Luke and Percy. "Percy, you're going to need all the training you can get." he said as they worked with swords and flaming torches. Annabeth still taught them Greek in the morning. Every time Percy would say something she would scowl and start muttering gibberish. Even Clarisse kept her distance.

One night in their cabin they found a mortal newspaper in the doorway, a copy of the New York Daily News opened to the Metro page. It said:

**BOY AND MOTHER STILL MISSING AFTER **

**FREAK CAR ACCIDENT**

By: Eileen Smythe

Sally Jackson and son Percy are still missing one week after their mysterious disappearance. The family's badly burned '78 Camaro was discovered last Saturday on a north Long Island road with the roof ripped off and the front axle broken. The car had flipped and skidded for several hundred feet before exploding.

Mother and son had gone for a weekend to Montauk, but left hastily under mysterious circumstances. Small traces of blood were found in the car and near the scene of the wreck, but there was no other signs of the missing Jacksons. Residents in the rural area reported seeing nothing unusual around the time of the accident.

Ms. Jackson's husband, Gabe Ugliano, claims that his stepson, Percy Jackson and two boys they with the names Andrew Namikaze and Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, are troubled and violent. Percy Jackson is known to have been kicked out of numerous boarding schools and has expressed violent tendencies in the past.

Police would not say whether Percy, Andrew and Naruto are suspects for Sally Jackson's disappearance, but have not ruled out foul play. Below are recent pictures of the missing Jacksons and Namikazes. Police urge anyone with information to call the following toll-free crime-stoppers hotline.

The phone number was circled in black marker. Percy wadded up the paper and threw it away with disgust. He flopped down on his bed along with Naruto and Andrew and went to sleep.

That night Percy had another dream. He was running along the beach in a storm. This time there was a city behind him. About one hundred yards down the surf there were two men fighting. They looked like TV wrestlers, muscular with beards and long hair. Both wore flowing Greek tunics, one trimmed in blue and the other green. They grappled with each other, wrestled, kicked and head butted, and every time they connected, lighting flashed, the sky grew darker and the wind rose.

Percy ran towards them to stop them but the wind kept pushing him back. Over the roar of the storm he could hear the blue robed one yelling _Give it back!_ over and over like a kindergartner over a toy. He yelled _Stop! Stop fighting!_

The ground shook. Laughter came from somewhere under the earth and a voice so deep and evil turned his blood to ice. _Come down little hero. Come down! _A crevice opened up beneath Percy. He slipped and the darkness swallowed him.

He woke up with start and found Andrew and Naruto staring down at him with concerned looks. "You alright? You were thrashing and talking in your sleep which woke us up." Naruto asked.

"Just a nightmare."

They heard a clopping sound at the door, a hoof knocking. "Come in!" Grover walked in and looked worried. "Mr. D wants to see you three." "Why?" "Just come on."

They got dressed and followed. At the volleyball pit, the kids from Apollo's cabin were playing a morning game against the satyrs. Dionysus's twins were walking in the strawberry fields making the plants grow.

Despite everyone following their regular routine they looked tense and occasionally sparing looks at the upcoming storm. They followed Grover to the front porch of the Big House where Chiron and Mr. D were playing pinochle again but this time with two invisible players seeing that two sets of hands were floating in mid air.

"Well, well our little celebrity. Come closer and don't expect me to kowtow you mortal, just because old Barnacle Beard is your father." A net of lightning flashed across the clouds and thunder shook the windows of the house.

"If I had my way I'd cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you brats safe from harm."

"Spontaneous combustion _is _a form of harm Mr. D" Chiron explained. "Nonsense. Boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I'm going to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your Father."

"Mr. D-" Chiron warned. "Fine. There's one more option but it's completely foolish." Dionysus rose and the invisible player's cards dropped to the table. "I'm off to Olympus for an emergency meeting. One of the topics revolves around you two." He said as he pointed to Naruto and Andrew.

"If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose." He picked up a playing card, twisted it, and transformed into a security pass. He vanished in thin air leaving nothing behind except the scent of fresh pressed grapes.

Chiron turned to them and had a sad smile etched on his face. "Andrew, Naruto, Percy please sit." "Tell me boys, what did you think of the hellhound."

Percy sighed "In all honesty it scared me. If you hadn't shot it I'd be dead." Chiron turned his gaze to the cousins who sighed. "We were angry, not scared. Nothing can really scare us but it was definitely surprising."

"Well Percy you'll meet worse. Far worse before you're done." "Done with what?" "Your quest of course. Will you accept it?" He looked at Grover who had his fingers crossed.

"Sir, you haven't told me it yet." Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details."

Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds reached the edge of the beach where the sky and sea were boiling together.

"Poseidon and Zeus are fighting over something that was stolen. Something valuable right?" Chiron and Grover exchanged looks while Andrew and Naruto are confused with everything.

Chiron sat forward and asked "How did you know about that?" "The weather since Christmas has been weird and I've been having these dreams..."

"I knew it!" Grover said. "Hush satyr" "But it's his quest!" Grover said excitedly. "It must be!" "Only the Oracle can determine." Chiron said as he stroke his beard.

"But yes Percy you're right. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something that was stolen. It's a lightning bolt."

Percy laughed. "A what?" "Don't take this lightly" he warned. "I'm talking about a 2 foot long cylinder of high grade celestial bronze capped on both ends with god-level explosives."

"Oh"

"Zeus's master bolt. The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make the hydrogen bomb look like a firecracker."

"And it's missing?"

"Stolen."

"By who?"

"By whom" he corrected "by you."

All their mouths dropped. "At least, that's what Zeus thinks. During winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had their usual arguments. Afterwards Zeus realized his master bolt was missing. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly-that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father has convinced a human hero to take it."

"But I didn't-"

"Patience and listen Percy. Zeus has a good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence of the makers of his brothers lightning. Zeus believes that Poseidon has taken the master bolt and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now he claimed you as his son. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could have easily snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief."

"To be honest Chiron, we didn't even know the stuff from Greek mythology still existed until we came to camp." Andrew reasoned.

"Zeus is paranoid. He has almost lost his title as king of the gods because of Poseidon. I believe it was question 46 on the final exam..." Naruto and Percy began whistling as they looked anywhere except at Chiron who was chuckling as well as Grover.

Andrew had a smirk on his face as well. "I don't remember the exact question but I know what you're talking about. It was when Poseidon made a golden net and got a few of the other gods and goddesses together and trapped Zeus in it. They didn't let him go until he promised to be a better ruler."

"Correct. After that Zeus never trusted Poseidon since. Of course Poseidon took offense at the accusation. The two have been going at it for months and now it is threatening war. Now that Percy has come along, it was the last straw."

"But I'm just a kid." Percy said completely frustrated with everything.

"Percy," Grover cut in, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admit he has broke the sacred oath after World War 2, that he has fathered a new mortal hero which might be used as a weapon against you... Wouldn't that frustrate you?"

"But I didn't do anything. Poseidon/dad, he didn't steal the master bolt, right?"

Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery isn't Poseidon's style. But Poseidon is too proud to convince Zeus that. Both Zeus and Poseidon demanded that the bolt should be returned by the summer solstice and a apology for being called a thief. However now that Kyuubi from the other world has came here saying things will be explained on the same date as well as Andrew and Naruto being claimed by those gods changes some things. But for the time being if the fighting between the two isn't calmed down it can turn into a full-fledged war."

It started to rain in camp which caused the volleyball players and other campers look at the sky in shock. Percy started to get furious.

"So I have to find the stupid bolt and return it to Zeus." he said through gritted teeth.

"What a better peace offering than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus's property." "Fine. But if Poseidon doesn't have it, where is it?"

Chiron's face turned grim. "I believe I know. Part of a prophecy I had years ago... well, some of the lines make sense to me now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."

"Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?"

"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge." Percy gulped. "Good reason" "So you accept?" Percy nodded his head.

"Alright. Percy go upstairs to the attic. When you're finished, come back down here and we'll talk more.

Percy's P.O.V

Four flights up, the stairs ended under a green trapdoor. I pulled the cord and the door swung down and a wooden ladder clattered into place.

The warm air above smelled like mildew, rotten wood and the smell of snakes. I held my breath and climbed.

The attic was filled with Greek hero junk ranging from scattered pieces of armor to spoils of war from the monsters people had fought.

By the window, sitting on a wooden tripod stool, was the most gruesome memento of all: a mummy. Not the average wrapped one, a female body shriveled to a husk. She wore a tie dyed sundress, lots of beaded necklaces, and a headband over long black hair. The skin of her face was thin and leathery over her skull, and her eyes were glassy white slits, as if the real eyes have replaced by marbles.

Looking at her sent chills up my back. And that was before she sat up on the stool and opened her mouth. A green mist poured out of her mouth, coiling over the floor in thick tendrils, hissing like multiple snakes.

I stumbled trying to get back to the trapdoor but it slammed shut. Inside my head I heard a voice. _I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker and ask. _I was trembling, but I took a deep breath and calmed down a bit when I realized what was happening.

The mummy wasn't alive. She was being used as a speaker for something else. The power that was now swirling around me in the green mist. I gathered my courage and asked "What is my quest?"

The mist swirled more thickly, collecting in front of me. Suddenly there were four men sitting around the table playing cards. Their faces became clearer, it was Gabe, Eddie and their regular poker buddies.

My fist clenched, even though I knew it was an illusion made by the green mist. Gabe turned towards me and spoke in the same raspy tone of the Oracle: _You shall go West, and face the god who has turned. _His buddy on his right looked up and said in the same voice: _You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned._ The guy on the left threw in two poker chips and then said: _You shall be betrayed by one who calls you friend. _Finally, Eddie delivered the worst line of all: _And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end._

The figures began to dissolve. At first I was too stunned to say anything, but as the mist retreated, coiling into a huge green serpent and slithered back into the mouth of the Oracle, I cried "Wait! What do you mean? What friend? What will I fail to save?"

The tail of the mist snake disappeared into the mouth and she reclined back against the wall returning to her position that she was in when he first saw her. I knew my audience with the Oracle was over.

Third P.O.V.

"Well?" Chiron asked as Percy sat down

"She said I would return what was stolen." Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "That's great!"

"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed "It's important."

He sighed "She said I would go west and face the god who had turned and that I'd retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."

Chiron didn't look satisfied. "Anything else?" Percy kept silent for a second. "No, that's about it."

Chiron studied Percy for a second. "Very well, Percy. But know this, the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."

Percy could tell that Chiron knew he was holding back something but didn't press. "So..." he said "Who's the god in the west?"

"Hades. The Lord of the Dead himself." The aluminum can in Grover's mouth fell to the floor. "Whoa wait. What?"

"A Fury came after the boys," Chiron reminded him. "She watched them until she was sure of their identity, then tried to kill them. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."

"Yes, but—but Hades hates _all_ heroes," Grover protested. "Especially if he has found out

Percy is a son of Poseidon. Naruto and Andrew are probably not supposed to be here either!"

"A hellhound got into the forest," Chiron continued. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill this young half-blood before he can take on the quest."

"Great, two major gods what to kill me." Percy mumbled.

Naruto just punched Percy's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, even if I am not ready yet, I won't let any of my precious people die on me."

"Heh, thanks." Percy replied with a smile.

"But a quest to ..." Grover swallowed. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in some place like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year."

"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron insisted. "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth."

Grover started trembling. He'd started eating pinochle cards like potato chips. The poor guy needed to complete a quest with Percy, Naruto or Andrew so he could get his searcher's license, whatever that was.

"Suspecting and knowing are not the same," Chiron said. "Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades—and I imagine Poseidon does—they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?"

"I just thought they were lazy." Naruto shrugged, "Or just way too busy with their own domain."

"You're saying we're being used." Percy stated, irritable about this information.

"I'm saying it's no accident that your father have claimed you now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in desperate situations. He needs you."

"Great, the kids got to save our parent's asses." Naruto sighed, and Grover nodded to that and chuckled a bit at that.

"You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?" asked Percy, "and that Andrew and Naruto had different types of gods as their parents, as well." Percy accused.

"I had my suspicions. As I said ... I've spoken to the Oracle, too." Chiron said calmly.

"So let me get this straight," Percy said. "We're supposed go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."

"Check" Chiron stated.

"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."

"Check." Naruto said with a gleam in his eye.

"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days."

"That's about right." Chiron said.

"Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" Grover asked weakly as he gulped down an ace of hearts.

"You don't have to go," Percy told him. "I can't ask that of you.

He took a deep breath, then stood, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his T-shirt.

"You guys saved my life. If ... if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down." That made the boys smile, Percy because he wanted another friend with them Naruto because he was proud of the satyr and Andrew knew how important this quest is for him.

"All the way, G-man." Percy said and then turned to Chiron. "So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west."

"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America."

"Where?" Naruto asked.

Chiron looked surprised. "I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles."

"LA? Sweet!" Naruto cheered.

"Oh," Percy said. "Naturally. So we just get on a plane—"

"No!" Grover shrieked. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?" Percy shook his head in the negative.

"Percy, think," Chiron said. "You are the son of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive."

"Okay," Percy said, determined not to look at the storm. "So, we'll travel overland."

"That's right," Chiron said. "Two companions may accompany you three. Grover is one. The other has already volunteered, if you will accept her help."

"Gee," Percy said, feigning surprise while smirking to Naruto and Andrew, who did the same. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?"

The blond looked behind Chiron to see his fellow blond behind the man. He smirked as he she took off the Yankee's hat and she shimmered into existence for all to see. "I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain," she said. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up." She then turned to Andrew and Naruto and said, "Besides, we got you two to help as well. From what I remember Iruka saying was that chakra can be used for both combat and noncombat situations. Right?"

"Yeah that's right. We can run on top of water, climb walls vertically, there's many things we can do with it. The list is practically endless.

"Oh." pouted Annabeth.

"If you do say so yourself," Percy said with a smirk. "I suppose you have a plan, wise girl?"

Her cheeks colored. "Do you want my help or not?"

"The five of us will work just fine." Percy said in return, happy to be traveling with people he knows and trusts.

"Excellent," Chiron said. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own." Lightning flashed. Rain poured down on the meadows that were never supposed to have violent weather. ""No time to waste," Chiron said. "I think you should all get packing."

"Already done." Naruto and Andrew commented as seals glowed all over their body and on parts of his clothes. "We've got everything we need right here."

"You have got to teach me that." Annabeth said with wide eyes.

"Sure why not. If you can learn to how to use chakra it'll be no problem." Andrew explained.

After their conversation Percy, Grover and Annabeth left to get their things together while Naruto and Andrew waited by Thalia's tree.


	11. We destroy a bus

Soon, Grover, Annabeth, and Percy arrived in their 'outside the camp' attire. OF course for Percy…it was what has been wearing all week. For Annabeth…that was the same too, but with same book on famous classical architecture…go figure. He also wondered if they were going to get caught thanks to that knife she had, I mean their weapons changed into semi-useful items, but hers does not…..oh well.

Grover wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as human. He wore a green Rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and anyone could just see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff's "So Yesterday," both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes. Kind of sad when you think about it.

"Naruto." Annabeth asked, noticing Naruto's state, "What is with the dumb look?" Naruto was about to retort but Andrew decided to put his two cents in. "What are you talking about Annabeth? Naruto always has a dumb look on his face because nothing's going on in that thick skull he has."

Naruto gave an indignant "Hey!" but it was drowned out by their laughter. Naruto then asked "So how we getting out of here?"

"You got me, Chiron just said to come back here." Percy said.

"Correct Percy, now I would like you to meet Argus." Chiron said, coming up to them in his wheelchair form with a surfer dude tailing him.

"Ah, the head of security." Annabeth said respectively. Naruto just quirked an eyebrow, that job was perfect for this guy in Naruto's opinion, for this guy has eyes all over his body.

"He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things." Chiron and Naruto laughed at the inside joke.

"Hey!" Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes. "Glad I caught you." Andrew noticed that Annabeth was blushing. _Oh god….don't tell me she is a fangirl like Sakura and Ino._ He thought.

"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told them. "And I thought ... um, maybe you could use these." He then handed the shoes to Percy. These….shoes, looked like any normal pair of shoes to him. "Maia!" White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels

Percy was so startled that he dropped the shoes and Andrew said, "Well, you don't see shoes like that every day."

"Awesome!" Grover said.

Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days..." He then had a sad expression on his face. Luke smiled sadly at them.

"Hey, man," Percy said. "Thanks."

"Listen, Percy ..." Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you guys. So just ... kill some monsters for me, okay?"

"HA! With Percy's luck, we might just run into a few." Naruto laughed.

"Hey!" Percy pouted.

"Ah don't worry! You got me and my awesome ninja skills!" Naruto boasted only to be hit in the head by Andrew. "Besides, you could use the practice." Percy chuckled a bit at that, he knew was not that great with a sword….yet. "I am just the backup, along with Annabeth's brains and Grover's magical flute…powers. God I am never going to get used to that."

"I guess you are right" Percy smiled and then shook Luke's hand. "We'll kill one just for you them man!"

"Good." Luke said as he then shook Naruto's, Andrew's and Grover's hands as well and gave Annabeth a hug, who looked ready to pass out.

_Why does that remind me of Hinata? _Naruto thought.

After Luke was gone, Percy smirked and to Annabeth, "You're hyperventilating."

"Am not."

"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?"

"Oh ... why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?" Annabeth then stomped down the other side of the hill they met on, where a white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys.

"Oooh, this is going to be fun!" Naruto cackled, scaring Grover. Of course Percy had already gathered the shoes and was hastily following Annabeth, so he didn't hear what Naruto said.

"You scare me sometimes Naruto." Grover replied.

"Really? Does my pranking side really scare you that badly?"

"Yes" Andrew chuckled. "Don't mind him Grover. As long as you're not on the receiving end your fine."

"Oh well, come on Grover. Let's to go to Hell." Naruto said with a carefree attitude.

"You are not making this any better on me." Grover grimaced.

"Sorry about that man." Naruto said as they were at the car. Once near the car, Percy remembered that it would not be a good idea for him to wear the flying shoes. So…he gave them to Grover. Naruto could not help but laugh a little at that. A flying satyr.

Sad to say, when Grover tried to fly….the results were less than desirable, but it was funny to watch as Grover had not control on where he was going. Poor poor possessed lawn mower, uh I mean Grover.

Chiron rolled up them and said, "Good luck you three. Know I know Naruto and Andrew has some training, albeit ninja training, but I wish I had more time to train you Percy. I mean, Hercules and Jason and lot more training after all.

"That's okay. I just wish—" Percy said but stopped himself, not wanting to sound selfish and not getting a magical item to help him on his quest.

"What am I thinking?" Chiron cried. "I can't let you get away without this." He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to Percy. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, black ink, removable cap.

"Gee," Percy said. "Thanks."

"Percy, that's a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one." Chiron stated.

Percy took a better look at the pen and remembered how he Andrew and Naruto vaporized Mrs. Dodds. Could this be the same weapon? He took off the cap, and the pen grew longer and heavier in his hand. In a few seconds, it had turned into a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip, and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs. He smiled, somehow, this sword felt right in his hands.

"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron told him. "Its name is Anaklusmos."

"Riptide." Percy translated; surprised that he could do that so quickly.

"Use it only for emergencies," Chiron said, "and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case."

"What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals? How could it not?" Percy asked, confused as he looked at the deadly looking blade.

"The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply are not important enough for the blade to kill. And I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are _twice_ as vulnerable."

"Good to know." Percy replied and after Chiron explained more about the blade, like he could not lose it and how to turn it back, he joined the others in the car. They turned back to see that Chiron was now under Thalia's tree, shooting of an arrow, which mean he was just sending them off.

Naruto decided to interrupt the silence. "So…you got your weapon huh?"

"Yeah, it is called Riptide." Percy smiled.

"What's your blade called Naruto?" Annabeth asked.

Naruto thought about it. "Hmm I don't think my weapon has a name as well as Andrew's scythe."

"Oh...ok"

Argus drove them out of the countryside and into western Long Island. For Naruto, Andrew, and Percy, it felt weird to be out on the highway again. They did spend two weeks in the camp after all. Naruto caught Percy looking at all the McDonald's and other places like that on their way. He could not blame the kid, the camp was like a renaissance fair after all. Percy was just regaining his grip on reality.

"So far so good," Percy told Annabeth. "Ten miles and not a single monster."

She gave him an annoyed look. "It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain."

"Remind me again—why do you hate me so much?"

"I don't hate you."

"Could've fooled me." He mumbled.

"Hey, can't we all get along?" Naruto interrupted, earning annoyed looks.

"Look ... we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals." Annabeth replied.

"Why?" Percy asked dumbly.

Annabeth sighed. "How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful. Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her."

"They must really like olives." replied Percy.

"Oh, forget it."

"Now, if she'd invented pizza—_that _I could understand."

"I said, forget it!"

Naruto smirked. "You know, that just what our parents did. I don't understand why certain people _have_ to hate each other for that reason alone. If everyone believed that, everyone would hate me. Just like in Konoha." Naruto said, the last part softly to himself, but they heard it.

Andrew knew what Naruto was talking about as they both had shitty lives but the others didn't and they didn't want to upset him, so they didn't ask. However, Annabeth considered Naruto's words but kept quiet.

Traffic slowed them down in Queens. By the time they got into Manhattan it was sunset and was starting to rain. Argus dropped them at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from Percy's mom and Gabe's apartment.

Naruto noticed out of the corner of his eye, that there was a soggy flyer with Percy's face on it. What was odd though, was that Percy ripped it down quickly before the other two could see it. Odd.

Argus unloaded their bags, made sure they got the bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch them as he pulled out of the parking lot. Andrew noticed that Percy was looking off into the distance, probably thinking about his home.

Andrew slapped his back and said, "Don't worry, we'll get your mom back."

"I know." Percy said with a sad smile.

Grover shouldered his backpack. He gazed down the street in the direction Percy was looking.

"You want to know why she married him, Percy?"

"Huh? Where you reading mind?"

"Just your emotions." Grover shrugged. "Guess I forgot to tell you satyrs can do that. You were thinking about your mom and your stepdad, right?"

"That ability, is pretty useful." Naruto smirked.

"Your mom married Gabe for you," Grover told him "You called him 'Smelly,' but you've got no idea. The guy has this aura…. Yuck. I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him on you three, and you guys haven't been near him for a week."

"Thanks," Percy deadpanned. "Where's the nearest shower?"

"You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepfather smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff inside his Camaro, I knew: Gabe has been covering your scent for years. If you hadn't lived with him every summer, you probably would've been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mom stayed with him to protect you. She was a smart lady. She must've loved you a lot to put up with that guy—if that makes you feel any better. Also for Andrew and Naruto, even though you've been living with them for a year, Gabe's aura is covering your auras a bit as well."

"Ugh, that still sucked though. Living in there, made me want to gag." Naruto replied and when he got odd looks he said, "Heightened senses for the Kyuubi." They nodded after that and Percy stared a little more into the distance until they had to move on.

They got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play some Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples. Annabeth was unbelievable. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. Andrew and Naruto were the same, but Naruto somehow got it to land on his nose!

The game ended when Percy tossed the apple toward Grover and it got too close to his mouth. In one mega goat bite, their Hacky Sack disappeared—core, stem, and all. Grover blushed. He tried to apologize, but the four were too busy on the ground, laughing. Though, Naruto did wonder HOW Grover managed to do that.

Finally the bus came. As they were standing in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air like he smelled his favorite school cafeteria delicacy—enchiladas.

"What is it?" Percy asked, curious.

"I don't know," he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing."

As they boarded, Percy was get nervous because his friends were acting differently. Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh, Grover kept looking everywhere, and Naruto had a serious face on…..yea, something was up. The only one who was unaffected was Andrew as he nonchalantly put a earpiece in and listened to some Skrillex again.

As the last passengers got on, Annabeth clamped her hand on Percy's knee. "Percy."

An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse. When she tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered, and Percy gained a freaked out face. It was Mrs. Dodds. Older, more withered, but definitely the same evil face. Percy silently whimpered and scrunched down in his seat.

Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like Mrs. Dodds—same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses. Triplet demon grandmothers. They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves.

The bus pulled out of the station, and they headed through the slick streets of Manhattan. "She didn't stay dead long," Percy said, trying to keep his voice from quivering. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime."

"Percy, these are the Lord of the Dead's special torturers, they probably don't stay down for long. Besides, they feel more powerful than at the museum."

"Yeah and I said if you're _lucky_," Annabeth said. "You're obviously not, and if Andrew is right, they must be at full power"

"All three of them," Grover whimpered. "_Di immortales_!"

"It's okay," Annabeth said, obviously thinking hard. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."

"They don't open," Grover moaned.

"A back exit?" she suggested, looking to the back, only to find none.

Naruto growled, "I could always make one."

"No, we don't need to cause a scene and bring attention to ourselves." Annabeth replied.

"Aw…and I wanted to have some fun." Naruto hung his head in defeat.

"They won't attack us with witnesses around," Percy said. "Will they?"

"Mortals don't have good eyes," Annabeth reminded me. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist."

"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?"

She thought about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof ... ?"

They entered the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain.

Mrs. Dodds got up. In a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the rest-room."

"So do I," said the second sister.

"So do I," said the third sister.

They all started coming down the aisle.

"I've got it," Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat."

"What?"

"You're the one they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away."

"But you guys—"

"There's an outside chance they might not notice us," Annabeth said. "You're a son of one of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering."

"Yeah, and if they come after me…well they won't know what hit them." Naruto said. "Now go!"

"I can't just leave you."

"Don't worry about us," Grover said. "Go!"

Throughout all of this Andrew was silently listening to his music as if he was oblivious to everything around him.

With trembling hands, Percy put on the cap and started up the aisle. Naruto watched his friend intently, hoping Annabeth's plan would work. Percy got ten rows up before he had to dodge into an empty seat as to not run into them. Mrs. Dodds stopped, sniffing, and looked straight at Percy. His heart started pounding like crazy and Naruto fists clenched.

Apparently she didn't see anything. She and her sisters kept going.

Naruto somewhat relaxed after that and Percy quickly made his way to the front of the bus. He was about to press the emergency stop button when he heard a hideous wailing from the back row.

The old ladies were not old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same, which couldn't get any uglier if you asked anyone, but their bodies had shriveled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips.

The Furies surrounded Grover, Naruto, Andrew, and Annabeth, lashing their whips. Before they could say anything Andrew feigned surprise and said "What are you doing here Mrs. Dodds? You come to give us another math test?"

Everyone was staring at him as if he just fell from space while Naruto exploded with laughter. "Only you Andrew, only you."

Andrew smirked at them. Naruto decided to put his two cents in. "Yeah your right Andrew. But her tests are a lot scarier than the way she looks." he said with a fit of laughter.

Grover and Annabeth were looking at the two with disbelief as well as Mrs. Dodds' sisters. She on the other hand had a smirk on her face and said with her best teacher like voice "Well Mr. Uzumaki if that's the case..."

She outstretched her hand and a pen and 5 papers appeared in her hand. "Mr. Uzumaki you have 1 hour to complete this 200 question test, all of which are short answer." She said with the smirk threatening to fall of her face.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Naruto screamed before he got into a fetal position and started rocking back and forth. Andrew and Mrs. Dodds exploded with laughter at his actions. Mrs. Dodds wiped a tear from her eye and told her sisters "Torturing him was the most fun I've had in that school."

They both calmed down and Andrew then asked her since they haven't attacked yet "So... why are you three here? We're already going to the Underworld for our quest..."

Mrs. Dodds and her sisters turned to the demigods and started to hiss "_You have an item that we want and we will receive it! So Where is it? Where?"_

The other people on the bus were cowering in their seats. They saw _something_, all right.

"He's not here!" Annabeth yelled. "He's gone!"

"Yeah, so can't we all get along?" Naruto asked with a small smile as he recovered. The Furies raised their whips. One of them snapped it where Naruto's head would have been if he did not dodge.. "Yikes! I guess not" He replied as he took out a celestial bronze kunai as well as Andrew, Annabeth drew her bronze knife, and Grover grabbed a tin can from his snack bag and prepared to throw it.

Percy then did something so stupid that should be posted as the ADHD poster child. He grabbed the wheel of the bus and it slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind them.

The bus careened out of the Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rainstorm, people and monsters were tossed around the bus, cars plowed aside like bowling pins.

Somehow the driver found an exit. The bus shot off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights, and ended up barreling down one of those New Jersey rural roads where you can't believe there's so much nothing right across the river from New York. There were woods to the left, the Hudson River to the right, and the driver seemed to be veering toward the river!

Percy got another great idea and slammed on the emergency. The bus wailed, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him. Percy stepped into the driver's seat and let them pass.

The Furies regained their balance. They lashed their whips at Annabeth while she waved her knife and yelled in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Grover threw tin cans, while Naruto cut up the whips there were aim at him.

Andrew screamed out in pain when one of the whips wrapped around his wrist. "Ahhhhhh it burns!" Naruto heard him and cut the whip. Andrew immediately removed the red hot whip from his wrist burning the palm of his hand.

"Hey!" Percy yelled, taking off the hat and revealing himself. The Furies turned, baring their yellow fangs at the Son of Poseidon, and he instantly regretted it, which was easily seen thanks to his freaked out expression. Mrs. Dodds stalked up the aisle, just as she used to do in class, like she was about to give him another failed paper. Every time she flicked her whip, red flames danced along the barbed leather. Her two ugly sisters hopped on top of the seats on either side of her and crawled toward him like huge nasty lizards.

"Perseus Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said, in an accent that was definitely from somewhere farther south than Georgia. "You have offended the gods. You shall die."

"I liked you better as a math teacher," Percy told her. Naruto heard him and said.

"No way Percy! Are you nuts? I'd rather have her like this than take another math test!."

Mrs. Dodds growled and yelled, "Stay out of this!"

Naruto grumbled something in inaudible, help Annabeth and Grover sneak up behind the creepy looking grannies. Percy had, by this point, uncapped the pen and it was not the sword that helped kill the old bag.

The Furies hesitated.

Mrs. Dodds had felt Riptide's blade before. She obviously didn't like seeing it again. "Submit now," she hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment."

"Nice try," Percy replied.

"Percy, look out!" Annabeth cried. Mrs. Dodds lashed her whip around his sword hand while the Furies on the either side lunged at him.

Percy grimaced at the pain that whip was causing, but he regain some composure to strike back. He used the hilt of his to knock away the fury on the left, but noticed that he would not have enough time to strike the one the right because she was coming in to fast!

That was when Naruto suddenly appeared and kicked the hag away; shocking the leader of the Furies so bad that she loosened her grip on Percy. He took that opportunity to get free.

Mrs. Dodds glared at Naruto and said, "Stay out of this! We were ordered NOT to kill you and Andrew but that just gives up free range on what we could do to you!"

Naruto had a deadpanned expression on his face at that. "Sorry, but I like younger girls."

This made them even more mad than they were….which probably was not a good thing to do, because the one on the right lunged at him, but he smirked and spun on his heel to stab her in the neck, 'killing' her instantly.

Annabeth got Mrs. Dodds in a wrestler's hold and yanked her backward while Grover ripped the whip out of her hands. "Ow!" he yelled. "Ow! Hot! Hot!"

The Fury that Percy had hit before came back in full force and tried to slice him with her claws but he swung Riptide and she broke open like a piñata.

Mrs. Dodds was trying to get Annabeth off her back. She kicked, clawed, hissed and bit, but Annabeth held on while Grover got Mrs. Dodds's legs tied up in her own whip. Finally they both shoved her backward into the aisle. Mrs. Dodds tried to get up, but she didn't have room to flap her bat wings, so she kept falling down.

"Zeus will destroy you!" she promised. "Hades will have your soul!"

"Hey, let them try, we can beat anything you throw at us." Naruto said happily.

"Braccas meas vescimini!" Percy yelled, which oddly meant, 'eat my pants.'

"Fools….you will die!" the fury yelled.

Thunder shook the bus and Naruto smelled gas.

"Get out!" Annabeth yelled. "Now!"

They rushed outside and found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, "We're going to die!" A Hawaiian-shirted tourist with a camera snapped their photograph before they could put away their weapons.

"Our bags!" Grover realized. "We left our—"

**BOOOOM!**

The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, but an angry wail from inside told them that Mrs. Dodds was not yet dead.

"Run!" Annabeth said. "She's calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!"

They plunged into the nearby woods as the rain started to fall; the flaming bus behind them and nothing but darkness ahead of them. Naruto smirked and looked at Annabeth while running. "So, what was that about not causing a scene and having all the attention on us?"

"Oh shut it!" her voice rang throughout the forest.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	12. Garden gnomes of death

In a way, it's nice to know there are Greek gods out there, because you have somebody to blame when things go wrong. For instance, when you're walking away from a bus that's just been attacked by monster hags and blown up by lightning, and it's raining on top of everything else, most people might think that's just really bad luck; when you're a demi-god, you understand that some divine force really is trying to mess up your day or just trying to rid the world of you.

That was what was going through Percy's mind as he walked along side Naruto, Andrew, Annabeth, and Grover. Currently, they were walking along the Jersey riverbank, with the glow of New York City behind them.

Grover was shivering and braying, his big goat eyes turned slit-pupiled and full of terror. "Three Kindly Ones. All three at once."

"Come on! The farther away we get, the better." Annabeth said, still looking shaken.

"All our money was back there," Percy reminded her. "Our food and clothes. Everything."

"Well, maybe if you hadn't decided to jump into the fight—"

"What did you want me to do? Let you get killed?"

"You didn't need to protect me, Percy. I would've been fine. Besides, we also had Naruto and Andrew."

"Sliced like sandwich bread," Grover put in, "but fine."

"Shut up, goat boy," said Annabeth.

Grover brayed mournfully. "Tin cans ... a perfectly good bag of tin cans."

"OK! ENOUGH!" Andrew growled out. Ending the argument, his eye was twitching. "I got my money so there's enough for the trip. But right now my hand and wrist hurt like hell."

He said as he showed them the burnt skin. He grimaced in pain "Naruto can you take out the nectar please?" H e nodded and took some nectar and ambrosia out of a seal and gave it to Andrew. As soon as he ate/ drank them he felt better as his skin healed.

"Oh right." Percy said thoughtfully.

Annabeth just looked lost and said, "What do you mean?"

"Andrew has been working during the school year and has been saving up money for the rent of our apartment.." Percy replied.

"Oh…well that is good." Annabeth said softly.

After a few minutes, Annabeth fell into line next to Percy. "Look, I..." Her voice faltered. "I appreciate your coming back for us, okay? That was really brave."

"We're a team, right?" Percy asked with a smile.

She was silent for a few more steps. "It's just that if you died ... aside from the fact that it would really suck for you, it would mean the quest was over. This may be my only chance to see the real world."

"Technically, this is a quest for me, Andrew and Naruto." Percy replied. "Besides, they would never let me die….just like back in the bus."

"Got that right!" Naruto smirked. "Of course I would not let you two die either." He said, pointing to Grover and Annabeth, who looked grateful.

"Then I guess it is a good thing that we have a child of the big three and two ninja on our side then." Annabeth smiled.

"You haven't left Camp Half-Blood since you were seven?" He asked Annabeth.

"No ... only short field trips. My dad—"

"The history professor." interrupted Percy.

"Yeah. It didn't work out for me living at home. I mean, Camp Half-Blood is my home." She was rushing her words out now, as if she were afraid somebody might try to stop her. "At camp you train and train. And that's all cool and everything, but the real world is where the monsters are. That's where you learn whether you're any good or not."

"You're pretty good with that knife,"

"You think so?"

"Anybody who can piggyback-ride a Fury is okay by me." Percy replied.

"You know," she said, "maybe I should tell you ... Something funny back on the bus ..."

She didn't get to say much about it because a few second before, Naruto was silently chuckling at the couple in front of him and Grover. Said satyr glanced at the blond nervously and brought out his reed pipes and gave an experimental blow and the sound of a tortured owl came out.

"Hey, my reed pipes still work!" Grover cried. "If I could just remember a 'find path' song, we could get out of these woods!"

"Well, let's just hope you know how to play that. I don't want my ears bleeding." Naruto growled as he got the full blast of the screeching sound.

"Oh don't Naruto, I can play just fine." Grover smiled and puffed out a few notes, but the tune still sounded suspiciously like Hilary Duff, making Naruto smirk.

Percy was to bust listening to Grover playing on his piped that he never noticed a tree in front of him in the darkness and smacked right into it, making laugh out loud. He mark infrared vision off his list of possible super powers that he could have.

After a about a mile or so of listen to Percy curse as he bumped into things and Naruto chuckling to himself, they saw a neon sign in the distance. Andrew sniffed and asked, "Please tell me you guys smell that too."

"If you are smelling fast food like it am, then yes. Yes I do." Percy replied. "I really need a double cheese burger right about now."

Finally, they came upon a deserted two-lane road through the trees. On the other side was a closed-down gas station, a tattered billboard for a 1990s movie, and one open business, which was the source of the neon light and the good smell.

"A rest stop!" Grover said happily.

"With food!" Naruto commented with joy.

Sure it was not a true fast food place; it was one of those restaurants you see on the open road. You know, some locally own place. It looked like it also sold those lawn flamingos and wooden Indians and cement grizzly bears and stuff like that.

The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary. The neon sign above the gate was impossible for normal demigods to read, because if there's anything worse for their dyslexia than regular English, it's red cursive neon English.

To Percy and Annabeth, it looked it this: ATNYU MES GDERAN GOMEN MEPROUIM.

"What the heck does that say?" asked Percy.

"I don't know." Annabeth said.

Andrew translated: "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium."

"Hmm…I bet Ino could give them a few tips." Naruto commented as he observed the place a little more. Flanking the entrance, as advertised, were two cement garden gnomes, ugly bearded little runts, smiling and waving, as if they were about to get their picture taken, making Naruto's eye twitch.

Percy quickly crossed the street, following the smell of food; the others quickly following.

"Hey ..." Grover warned.

"The lights are on inside," Annabeth said. "Maybe it's open."

"Snack bar," Percy said wistfully.

"Snack bar," she agreed.

"Oh I hope that they serve Ramen!" Naruto smirked.

"Are you three crazy?" Grover said. "This place is weird." Of he was ignored in favor of filling their stomachs.

The front lot was a forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing the pipes, which gave Grover the creeps. "Bla-ha-ha!" he bleated. "Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!"

They stopped at the warehouse door.

"Don't knock," Grover pleaded. "I smell monsters."

"Your nose is clogged up from the Furies," Annabeth told him. "All I smell is burgers. Aren't you hungry?"

"Meat!" he said scornfully. "I'm a vegetarian."

"You eat cheese enchiladas and aluminum cans," Percy reminded him.

"Those are vegetables. Come on. Let's leave. These statues are ... looking at me."

"BOO!" Naruto said from right behind the goat boy, making him jump and Andrew laugh.

"AH! Don't do that!"

"Sorry Grover, but that was the perfect moment. Besides, they are just statues!" Naruto said with a chuckle.

Then the door creaked open, and standing in front of them was a tall Middle Eastern woman because she wore a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled. Her eyes glinted behind a curtain of black gauze, but that was about all anyone could make out. Her coffee-colored hands looked old, but well-manicured and elegant, so they imagined she was a grandmother who had once been a beautiful lady.

Her accent sounded vaguely Middle Eastern, too. She said, "Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?"

"They're ... um ..." Annabeth started to say.

"We're orphans," Percy said.

"Orphans?" the woman said. The word sounded alien in her mouth. "But, my dears! Surely not!"

"Oh yeah! We are orphans lady" Andrew jumped in. "We had to live off the streets and scrounge around for the little food we could barely get." Naruto looked down with an aura of dread flowing from him. "He's right. It's been hard for us. Where we've been growing up we've lived off the streets for years until we were 8. We've been beaten nearly an inch of our life everyday and had no reason as to why they did it."

He said with fake tears, making his three companions to sweatdrop. "But, when in a group…it eases the pain!"The three looked at them and had the feeling that what they said was actually true but put it off for now.

"We got separated from our caravan," Percy said, a little put off by Naruto's speech. "Our circus caravan. The ringmaster told us to meet him at the gas station if we got lost, but he may have forgotten, or maybe he meant a different gas station. Anyway, we're lost. Is that food I smell?"

"Oh, my dears," the woman said. "You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area." They smiled and thanked her and went in.

Annabeth muttered to me, "Circus caravan?"

"Always have a strategy, right?"

"Your head is full of kelp."

"We excuse me! I got that idea by watching Mr. Drama over here."

"And my flair for drama made you think of a circus…I am hurt!" Naruto fake pouted.

"Oh shut it. It worked right?" Percy asked annoyed, Naruto just smirked.

The warehouse was filled with more statues—people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. Normally, they would not be going to some strange place in the middle of nowhere but they were hungry and tired and this place was just convenient.

The smell from those cooking burgers was intoxicating. Grover was whimpering a lot now and they heard the door lock behind him was NOT a good thing.

As soon as they go to the back of the place, they noticed a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, and a nacho cheese dispenser. Everything you could want, plus a few steel picnic tables out front.

"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said.

"Awesome," Percy said.

"Um," Grover said reluctantly, "we don't have any money, ma'am."

Aunty Em smiled and said, "No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans."

"Thank you, ma'am," Annabeth said.

Aunty Em stiffened, as if Annabeth had done something wrong, but then the old woman relaxed just as quickly.

"Quite all right, Annabeth," she said. "You have such beautiful gray eyes, child."

Andrew narrowed their eyes when she said that. _We never even introduced ourselves. Something is wrong..._

Their hostess disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking. Before they knew it, she'd brought them plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes, and XXL servings of French fries. In little time at all they started inhaling their food.

Andrew ate his food at a small pace. He noticed that Naruto and Percy were halfway through their burgers before they realized they need to actually breath while Annabeth just slurped down her shake.

Grover picked at the fries, and eyed the tray's waxed paper liner as if he might go for that, but he still looked too nervous to eat. "What's that hissing noise?" he asked. Percy and Annabeth looked around but shrugged, not hearing anything.

"Hissing?" Aunty Em asked. "Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover."

"I take vitamins. For my ears."

"That's admirable," she said. "But please, relax."

Aunty Em ate nothing. She hadn't taken off her headdress, even to cook, and now she sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched the four children eat. It was a little unsettling, having someone stare at you when you couldn't see her face. Percy decided to be nice and make some small talk, even though the full stomach was making him a bit sleepy.

"So, you sell gnomes," Percy said.

"Oh, yes," Aunty Em said. "And animals. And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders. Statuary is very popular, you know."

"A lot of business on this road?"

"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built... most cars, they do not go this way now. I must cherish every customer I get."

_I bet._ Andrew thought as he saw Percy suddenly turn around, like he thought he was being watched, only to find the statue of a young girl with an eater basket looking at him. What was weird though was the look of terror in the face. _Oh this is so not good!_

"Ah," Aunty Em said sadly. "You notice some of my creations do not turn out well. They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face."

"You make these statues yourself?" Percy asked, a little creeped out

"Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statues. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company." The sadness in her voice sounded so deep and so real that you couldn't help feeling sorry for her, but that also made her more dangerous.

Annabeth had stopped eating. She sat forward and said, "Two sisters?"

"It's a terrible story," Aunty Em said. "Not one for children, really. You see, Annabeth, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a... a boyfriend, you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident. My sisters stayed by me. They shared my bad fortune as long as they could, but eventually they passed on. They faded away. I alone have survived, but at a price. Such a price."

"_SHIT SHIT SHIT! _Andrew thought frantically._ "THIS IS MEDUSA!_ He then saw Percy and Naruto getting really sleepy now and his and Annabeth's eyes met and they both knew they were in trouble. He gave her a barely noticeable nod.

"Percy?" Annabeth was shaking him to get his attention. "Maybe we should go. I mean, the ringmaster will be waiting." Andrew noticed that Grover was nervously eating the wax paper from the trays, but either this lady didn't see it or already knew what he was.

"Such beautiful gray eyes," Aunty Em told Annabeth again. "My, yes, it has been a long time since I've seen gray eyes like those."

She reached out as if to stroke Annabeth's cheek, but Annabeth stood up abruptly.

"We really should go."

"Yes!" Grover swallowed his waxed paper and stood up. "The ringmaster is waiting! Right!"

"Heh, and he will be pissed that the main actor won't be there!" Naruto said groggily as he sensed the tension, getting up as well, but Percy seemed reluctant to get up and leave.

"Please, dears," Aunty Em pleaded. "I so rarely get to be with children. Before you go, won't you at least sit for a pose?"

"A pose?" Annabeth asked warily.

"A photograph. I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children."

Annabeth shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I don't think we can, ma'am. Come on, Percy—"

"Sure we can," Percy said, a little irritated with Annabeth for being so bossy, so rude to an old lady who'd just fed them for free. "It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?"

"Yes, Annabeth," the woman purred. "No harm."

Annabeth reluctantly allowed this and they followed the lady to the front door, into the garden of statues. Aunty Em directed them to a park bench next to the stone satyr. "Now," she said, "I'll just position you correctly. The young girl in the middle, I think, and the two young gentlemen on either side, the blond and brown haired boys behind the girl since they are a bit taller."

"Not much light for a photo," Percy remarked.

"Oh, enough," Aunty Em said. "Enough for us to see each other, yes?"

"Where's your camera?" Grover asked.

Aunty Em stepped back, as if to admire the shot. "Now, the face is the most difficult. Can you smile for me please, everyone? A large smile?"

Grover glanced at the cement satyr next to him, and mumbled, "That sure does look like Uncle Ferdinand."

"Grover," Aunty Em chastised, "look this way, dear."

She still had no camera in her hands.

"Percy—" Annabeth said. The boy wanted to listen, but for some reason, the sleepy feeling was coming back again.

"I will just be a moment," Aunty Em said. "You know, I can't see you very well in this cursed veil..."

"Percy, something's wrong," Annabeth insisted.

"Wrong?" Aunty Em said, reaching up to undo the wrap around her head. "Not at all, dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?"

"That is Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover gasped.

"WAIT!" Andrew interrupted, getting all the attention on him. "How about I get a picture of just me and Naruto! After all, we are the most famous of our caravan! Not to mention we're cousins. "

The woman smiled behind her veil. "If that is what you wish Andrew. If you three would please move away, I will get to you later." This was odd, why was she listening to this boy? She wanted all five of them now!

As the three moved, Annabeth looked at both boys worriedly before she saw Andrew wink at her. She widened her eyes. The kind lady interrupted her line of thought though. "So please give me a pose and a big smile!"

Naruto got the message and smirked as they both got into a fighting stance and made a cross seal over his chest and smiled. The lady thought nothing of it and removed the veil, making Annabeth and Grover look away while Percy pushed down by the blond girl, who then disappeared thanks to her hat. Grover just ran for all he was worth.

Percy looked around from his position on the floor and saw Andrew and Naruto, only they were incased in stone. That made him fully awake and freaked out now. He didn't want to be stoned like his friend!

"Sucks to be a shadow clone right now!" Andrew's and Naruto's voices echoed out to them with cheer as the statue poofed away.

Medusa, as they now knew what to really call her, growled. "So you are the sons of one of those accursed gods! I will enjoy killing you, but tell me how you knew it was me!"

"Heh, that girl's statue. You should have made it less obvious when we saw the statues and the mention of your _faded _sisters who shared your burden." came Andrew's voice, but it was serious now.

Medusa was getting annoyed now, so she turned her attention to Percy and smiled, not that he would dare to look up.

Throughout the exchange, Percy was freaking out. He now heard the soft hissing of the snakes on her head, he also saw that her heads had turned into gnarly claws. _Great, another old lady that wants to kill me!_

"Such a pity to destroy a handsome young face," her voice told him soothingly.. "Stay with me, Percy. All you have to do is look up."

He fought the urge to obey. Instead he looked to one side and saw one of those glass spheres people put in gardens— a gazing ball. He could see Aunty Em's dark reflection in the orange glass; her headdress was gone, revealing her face as a shimmering pale circle. Her hair was moving, writhing like serpents. _Aunty Em….Aunty M! Ugh, how could I have been so stupid!_

"Percy…use the lessons Chiron taught us back in school, use your brain on this one!"

"Oh will you shut up!" Medusa yelled.

"Make me! In fact would you please just come after me instead of my friend?" Naruto asked.

"No I want him first!"

"Ah man….wait what? Never mind. Percy, looks like you and me are on this, Andrew is going to find the others."

Percy was freaking out now but felt a little relieved that Naruto would be helping him.. Andrew couldn't help him and his other friends are too scared to help him out of this mess. He needed to think of a way to somehow beat her before she turns him to stone! _Come on! Think!_ _Wait….the guy who I was named after….he beat her! I just can't look at her….this is so hard!_

"The Gray-Eyed One did this to me, Percy," Medusa said, and she didn't sound anything like a monster. Her voice invited him to look up, to sympathize with a poor old grandmother, though what she was a grandma of, he did not know. "Annabeth's mother, the cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this."

"Don't listen to her!" Annabeth's voice shouted, somewhere in the statuary. "Run, Percy!"

"Silence!" Medusa snarled. Then her voice modulated back to a comforting purr. "You see why I must destroy the girl, Percy. She is my enemy's daughter. I shall crush her statue to dust. But you, dear Percy, you need not suffer."

"You Aunty M…you've got a lot of rage for an old hag! Of course you wouldn't be here if you didn't get jiggy with Percy's dad and in Annabeth's mom's temple of all things. So, your fault!"

"I told you to shut up you annoying pest!" Medusa spat out. "I will enjoy doing the same to your statue as well!"

"No." Percy said firmly as he tried to get on his legs.

"Do you really want to help the gods?" Medusa asked. "Do you understand what awaits you on this foolish quest, Percy? What will happen if you reach the Underworld? Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue. Less pain. Less pain."

"Percy!" Grover's voice was heard behind him, but it was coupled with a buzzing sound. "Duck!"

The son of Poseidon turned, and there the flying satyr was in the night sky, flying in from twelve o'clock with his winged shoes fluttering, Grover, holding a tree branch the size of a baseball bat. His eyes were shut tight, his head twitched from side to side. He was navigating by ears and nose alone.

"Duck!" he yelled again. "I'll get her!"

That finally jolted Percy into action. Knowing Grover, he was sure the goat boy would miss Medusa and nail him, so he quickly dove to the side.

**Thwack!**

"You miserable satyr," Medusa roared with rage. "I'll add you to my collection!"

"That was for Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover yelled back as Percy scrambled into the maze of statues and Grover came in for another hit.

**Ker-whack!**

"Arrgh!" Medusa yelled, her snake-hair hissing and spitting.

While Percy was regaining, Annabeth appeared next to him with her cap off, "Percy!"

Poor Percy cleared a gnome in fright. "Jeez! Don't do that!"

"Ah get over it….you should be used to it by now." Naruto said as he appeared next to him as well as Andrew, further scaring the boy.

"You have to cut her head off." supplied Annabeth.

"What? Are you crazy? Let's get out of here."

"Medusa is a menace. She's evil. I'd kill her myself, but..." Annabeth swallowed, as if she were about to make a difficult admission. "But you've got the better weapon. Besides, I'd never get close to her. She'd slice me to bits because of my mother. You—you've got a chance."

"What? I can't—"

"Look, do you want her turning more innocent people into statues?" She pointed to a pair of statue lovers, a man and a woman with their arms around each other, turned to stone by the monster.

Annabeth grabbed a green gazing ball from a nearby pedestal. "A polished shield would be better." She studied the sphere critically. "The convexity will cause some distortion. The reflection's size should be off by a factor of—"

"Would you speak English?"

"I am!" She tossed him the glass ball. "Just look at her in the glass. Never look at her directly."

"Hey, guys!" Grover yelled somewhere above them. "I think she's unconscious!"

"Roooaaarrr!"

"Ok…maybe not." Grover corrected. He went in for another pass with the tree branch.

"Hurry," Annabeth told me. "Grover's got a great nose, but he'll eventually crash." She then put the cap back on and disappeared.

Naruto smirked and said, "Andrew and I will stop her from moving. All you have to do is cut off the head." Naruto and Andrew took out several regular steel shuriken and a long strip of wire. From Annabeth's and Percy's view, the weapons and wire seemed to emanate a blue aura around them.

Percy took out his pen and uncapped it, making it turn into his bronze sword, Riptide. He slowly followed the hissing sound of the snakes on her head, while keeping his eyes locked on the globe. Finally, he was able to see her reflection in the ball.

Grover was coming in for another turn at bat, but this time he flew a little too low. Medusa grabbed the stick and pulled him off course. He tumbled through the air and crashed into the arms of a stone grizzly bear with a painful "Ummphh!"

Medusa was about to lunge at him when Percy suddenly yelled, "Hey!" Her attention was on him now so he was able to catch a glimpse of Naruto saving Grover's ass before turning back to face him and Medusa.

Percy slowly made his away over to the snake hag, but she seemed to expect him to do that. He could see the reflection of her face now. Surely it wasn't really _that_ ugly. The green swirls of the gazing ball must be distorting it, making it look worse then she actually looks.

"You wouldn't harm an old woman, Percy," she crooned. "I know you wouldn't."

Percy hesitated, fascinated by the face he saw reflected in the glass—the eyes that seemed to burn straight through the green tint, making his arms go weak.

From the cement grizzly, Grover moaned, "Percy, don't listen to her!"

Before Medusa could do anything the kunai were thrown all around her. "Ha! What was that supposed to d..." She didn't notice the wire attached to the weapons until both boys pulled making her immobile.

Medusa whimpered. "Wait! Maybe we can comp..." Percy swung his sword cutting her off. He heard a sickening _shlock!_, then a hiss like wind rushing out of a cavern—the sound of a monster disintegrating.

Something fell to the ground next to his foot. It took all of Percy's willpower not to look. He could feel warm ooze soaking into his sock, little dying snake heads tugging at the shoelaces. Not a good feeling.

"Oh, yuck," Grover said. His eyes were still tightly closed, but Percy guessed he could hear the thing gurgling and steaming. "Mega-yuck."

Annabeth came up next to him, her eyes fixed on the sky. She was holding Medusa's black veil. She said, "Don't move." Very, very carefully, without looking down, she knelt and draped the monster's head in black cloth, then picked it up. It was still dripping green juice.

"Nice job!" Andrew and Naruto suddenly appeared between the three of them rattling their nervous even more.

"AH!" they yelled as they fell on the floor.

Annabeth got up and smacked the back on both of their heads while asking Percy in a shaking voice, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Percy replied, but he felt like he want to upchuck the cheese burger he ate before."Why didn't ...why didn't the head evaporate?"

"Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war," she said. "Same as your minotaur horn. But don't unwrap the head. It can still petrify you."

Grover groaned from his position next to Naruto. His green Rasta cap hung from one of his little goat horns, and his fake feet had been knocked off his hooves. The magic sneakers were flying aimlessly around his head.

"Wow, talk about getting your shoes knocked off." commented Naruto.

"The Red Baron," Percy said to Grover. "Good job, man."

He managed a bashful grin. "That really was not fun, though. Well, the hitting-her-with-a stick part, that was fun. But crashing into a concrete bear not fun." He said as he snatched his shoes out of the air, while Percy recapped his sword and put it away. They quickly made their way back into the warehouse, hope that they might find something of use.

Thankfully, they found some plastic bag where they double wrapped Medusa's head in it. After that they plopped it on the table where they ate before, three of them too exhausted to doing anything else. Andrew then got an idea. "Hey, Percy."

"Yeah?"

"I am going to put that in a scroll for later for you. All you have to do is put some blood on the seal and you'll get the headless snake back."

"Uhh…no thanks Andrew, I am not taking this with me." Percy said shakily, he just shrugged.

"So we have Athena to thank for this monster?" Percy then asked Annabeth after a few seconds.

Annabeth flashed him an irritated look. "Your dad, actually. Don't you remember? Medusa was Poseidon's girlfriend. They decided to meet in my mother's temple. That's why Athena turned her into a monster. Medusa and her two sisters who had helped her get into the temple, they became the three gorgons. That's why Medusa wanted to slice me up, but she wanted to preserve you as a nice statue. She's still sweet on your dad. You probably reminded her of him."

"And how is this my fault!" He rounded on Annabeth.

Annabeth tried to imitate Percy's voice, but it was not that good. "'It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm? Andrew and Naruto almost got stoned!'"

"Forget it," Percy said. "You're impossible."

"You're insufferable."

"You're—"

"Hey!" Grover interrupted. "You two are giving me a migraine, and satyrs don't even get migraines. What are we going to do with the head?"

Percy seemed to be in thought for a moment before he said, "I'll be back."

"Percy," Annabeth called after him. "What are you—" Then he was gone as he rounded a corner. Annabeth just threw up her hands and walked off in another direction, taking a look around.

It was only Grover Andrew and Naruto left. Andrew started chuckling to himself. "What is so funny?"

"They might have a thing for each other."

Grover looked at him like he was nuts. "They are only on this quest together because Percy had a quest and Annabeth wanted to get out of the camp for a while. Besides, their parents hate each other!"

"So. How does that dictate them, they are their own persons. They have a right to judge themselves." Andrew paused and smiled. "Besides, they might just be acting that they don't like each other."

"Speaking of acting…you did a pretty good job on that. You had me going there, heck you even scared me when you were going to get the 'picture'."

"Naruto and I are ninja. It's our job to deceive and trick others."

"Well, that is a good thing then. People will never know what to expect! You'll be like, POOF! Where did he go! POOF! Where did he go! POOF! Where did he go!" Naruto smirked as he poofed to a different seat of the table with each Poof!, making Grover shake his head.

"You really need to lay off the Disney movies." Grover replied.

Before Naruto could retort, Percy was back with box and a delivery slip. It read:

_The Gods_

_Mount Olympus_

_600th Floor,_

_Empire State Building_

_New York, NY_

_With best wishes,_

_PERCY JACKSON_

"They're not going to like that," Grover warned. "They'll think you're impertinent."

"Who cares! That is one of the best pranks if have very seen other than me painting the Hokage Monument!" Naruto smirked because as soon as he was done talking, the package disappeared with a pop!

"I am impertinent," Percy said. He looked at Annabeth, who had just gotten back, and dared her to criticize him. She didn't. She seem resigned to the fact he like to piss of the gods.

"Come on," she muttered. "We need a new plan."

"Yeah, let get back on the open road!" Naruto cheered, a little too happy.

"Naruto, please don't sing that song." Andrew and Grover begged.


	13. Talking to poodles

NY 13

"Alright, this probably not the best place to camp out, but it will have to do." Naruto grumbled as they set up camp in a clearing where a rave probably went off. The clearing was full of trash!

The camp was not much, just blankets and other items they took from Medusa's place. They didn't bother set up a fire to warm up their damp clothes. The Furies and Medusa had provided enough excitement for one day, they didn't to attract anything else.

"Alright, since this is like a mission back home, we will be sleeping in shifts, so who is going to take the first watch?"

"Watch?" asked Percy.

"In case anymore monsters come after us, that way we won't be surprised." Andrew explained.

"Ok then, I will take the first watch." Percy replied.

"Fine by me." Annabeth grumpily said while taking a blanket and covering up. A few minutes later, they heard her snoring.

"Wow…that was fast." Naruto blinked.

"Well, we did have a rough day." Grover commented.

"Rough for you guys but yeah, I agree." Naruto said. That was when the two noticed that Percy was already on watch. Grover fluttered with his flying shoes to the lowest bough of a tree, put his back to the trunk, and stared at the night sky, Andrew laid down on a dry patch of grass and looked at the stars as well, Naruto just leaned against the tree with his eyes closed.

"Go ahead and sleep," Percy told them. "I'll wake you if there's trouble."

"Not tired" Naruto and Andrew replied simultaneously while the Grover looked down at the ground, littered with trash.

"It makes me sad you guys."

"What does? The fact that you signed up for this stupid quest?" asked the water boy.

"No. This makes me sad." He pointed at all the garbage on the ground. "And the sky. You can't even see the stars. They've polluted the sky. This is a terrible time to be a satyr."

"Oh, yeah. I guess you'd be an environmentalist."

He glared at me. "Only a human wouldn't be. Your species is clogging up the world so fast ... ah, never mind. It's useless to lecture a human. At the rate things are going, I'll never find Pan."

"Pam, Like the cooking spray?"

"HA!" Naruto laughed. "That is a good one." Andrew sighed and said, "Pan, God of the Wild Places."

"Yeah him, that is why I need to get a Searcher's License. That way, I will be able to search for him, like my dad and Uncle Ferdinand."

"Yeah, what happened to him. I slept during that lecture. All I know is that he was the God of Wild Places." Naruto confessed while scratching the bad of his head.

"The God of Wild Places disappeared two thousand years ago," he told them. "A sailor off the coast of Ephesus heard a mysterious voice crying out from the shore, 'Tell them that the great god Pan has died!' When humans heard the news, they believed it. They've been pillaging Pan's kingdom ever since. But for the satyrs, Pan was our lord and master. He protected us and the wild places of the earth. We refuse to believe that he died. In every generation, the bravest satyrs pledge their lives to finding Pan. They search the earth, exploring all the wildest places, hoping to find where he is hidden, and wake him from his sleep."

"Eh…who knows, you might find the guy. And if he really is dead, he might be in the Underworld!" Naruto guessed.

"I hope he is no there."

"So…what will happen if you don't find Pan?" Percy asked.

"You die like my Father and Uncle. Never to be seen again." Grover explained. "They knew the risks. Hopefully, I will be the first to find him in two thousand years" They fell silent after that until Andrew looked at the trash around him and growled.

"Your right Grover, the pollution here is pretty bad. Maybe we can help clean the place up a bit. I know a fire technique that can burn all this useless junk easily." He said as a ball of fire appeared in his hand.

"What about Annabeth, she is in the middle of it all at the moment." Percy observed, making Andrew freeze.

"Ok, so we can get rid of it tomorrow." he shrugged and put out the fire. He then smirked. "Good to know you care about her, Percy."

Said demi-god spurted and tried making an excuse. When he couldn't, they all just laughed. Grover then said, "Thanks though Andrew. I at least know there are some humans who still in the old ways."

"Andrew and I do come from a world that is clean like that. Well….there is the occasional blood that the bathes the trees every now and then, but other than that it is clean." Naruto said the last part thoughtfully, making his two friends sweatdrop.

"Anyway," Percy said, trying to change the subject. "How are we going to get into the Underworld? I mean, what chance do we have against a god?"

"I don't know. But while you three were ahead of us, Annabeth said-"

"Oh, I forgot. Annabeth will have a plan all figured out." Percy rolled his eyes.

"Don't be so hard on her, Percy. She's had a tough life, but she's a good person. After all, she forgave me..." Grover's voice faltered.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked. "Forgave you for what?"

Andrew looked up at Grover as he was suddenly interested in his pipes. He sighed, "Thalia?"

"Thalia." The satyr confirmed. "That was my first job. I found Thalia and then Luke, and then we all found Annabeth. But it ended in a horrible failure." Grover said and it looked like he had tears in his eyes. "But as I was saying, Annabeth and I agreed there's something strange going on with this quest. Something isn't what it seems."

"Well, duh. Me and possibly Andrew and Naruto are getting blamed for stealing a thunderbolt that Hades took."

"That's not what I mean," Grover said. "The Fur—The Kindly Ones were sort of holding back. Like Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy... why did she wait so long to try to kill you three? Then on the bus, they just weren't as aggressive as they could've been."

"They seemed plenty aggressive to me." Percy replied.

"Yeah. I mean who summons a math test to be done in an hour. It's insane!" Naruto said but was ignored.

Grover shook his head. "They were screeching at us: 'Where is it? Where?'"

"Asking about one of us," Percy asked.

"Maybe ... but Annabeth and I, we both got the feeling they weren't asking about a person. They said 'Where is it?' They seemed to be asking about an object." Andrew said thoughtfully as he tapped his chin.

"That doesn't make sense."

"Yeah, especially if Hades has the bolt. I am getting the feeling that he doesn't. From the way they were acting it seems as if Hades was missing something as well... Ah never mind probably over thinking it." Andrew explained.

"I know. But if we've misunderstood something about this quest, and we only have nine days to find the master bolt..." Grover said, looking at the boys, hoping they would have the answer.

"Well, we might as well go there. He might have it and the old bats might not even know." Naruto said with crossed arms.

They nodded and Percy sighed. "Guys, I have not been straight with you. I really don't care about the lightning bolt. I am going to the Underworld so I can get my mom back."

"I know." Grover said.

"I figured as much." Naruto said.

"Obviously" Andrew said

"Are you sure that is not the only reason you are going?" Grover asked.

"I'm not doing it to help my father. He doesn't care about me. I don't care about him."

Grover gazed down from his tree branch. "Look, Percy, I'm not as smart as Annabeth. I'm not as brave as you. I am not as strong as Naruto. I am not as skilled as Andrew. But I'm pretty good at reading emotions. You're glad your dad is alive. You feel good that he's claimed you, and part of you wants to make him proud. That's why you mailed Medusa's head to Olympus. You wanted him to notice what you'd done."

"Yeah? Well maybe satyr emotions work differently than human emotions. Because you're wrong. I don't care what he thinks." Percy said a bit irritated.

Grover pulled his feet up onto the branch. "Okay, Percy. Whatever."

"Besides, I haven't done anything worth bragging about. We barely got out of New York and we're stuck here with no money, well except for whatever Naruto and Andrew has, and no way west."

Grover looked at the night sky, like he was thinking about that problem. "How about I take first watch, huh? You get some sleep."

"But…" Percy tried to argue but Grover just started playing on his pipe. It was a Mozart melody, soft and sweet. He grumbled a bit and made his way where the blankets were, next to Annabeth.

The dark haired boy walked away and then falling asleep soon afterwards with Naruto doing the same.

Andrew looked up and Grover and said, "Hey, just walk me up when you get tired. They need the rest." Grover just nodded and continues playing. Andrew gazed at the night sky until he too fell asleep.

XXXX

In Percy's dream he was near a black pit. He saw gray mist creatures churned all around them, whispering rags of smoke that he somehow knew were the spirits of the dead.

Those creatures tugged on his clothes, they wanted to resist but they felt a pull from the pit of darkness. _The little hero_, an amused voice echoed far down in the darkness. _Too weak, too young, but perhaps one of you will do._

The voice felt ancient—cold and heavy. It wrapped around him like sheets of lead.

_They have misled you, _it said. _Barter with me. I will give you what you want._

A shimmering image hovered over the void: Percy's mother, frozen at the moment she'd dissolved in a shower of gold. Her face was distorted with pain, as if the Minotaur were still squeezing her neck. Her eyes looked directly at Percy, pleading: _Go! _

Percy try and cry out, but nothing came out. The image then disappeared as a cold laughter echoed from the chasm. An invisible force pulled at him again, like it would drag him into the pit, if that did not hold firm.

_Help me rise, boy. _The voice became hungrier. _Bring me the bolt. Strike a blow against the treacherous gods!_

The spirits of the dead whispered around him, _No! Wake!_

That invisible force pulled once more, but he realized that it was using him to pull itself out of the pit.

_Good, _it murmured. _Good._

_Wake! _the dead whispered. _Wake!_

Percy was being shaken awake and noticed that it was daylight out.

"Well, the zombie lives" came Annabeth's voice.

"How long was I asleep?" the Percy asked.

"Long enough for me to cook breakfast." She replied while tossing Percy a bag of nacho-flavored corn chips from Aunty Em's place. "And Grover went exploring. Look, he found a friend."

Percy looked like he had trouble focusing his eyes but when he saw it, and he just blinked. Grover was sitting cross legged with a dirty pink poodle in his arms. Percy had trouble believing this. The poodle yapped at the water boy suspiciously. Grover said, "No, he's not."

"Are you ... talking to that thing?" Percy asked dumbly and it growled at him.

"This _thing_," Grover warned, "is our ticket west. Be nice to him."

"You can talk to animals?" Percy asked.

"Considering he IS part animal, I would say YES!" Andrew said, irritated already this early in the morning while Naruto shook the sleep out of him.

"Percy, meet Gladiola. Gladiola, Percy." Grover said while Percy looked to Annabeth and the other two, thinking they would crack up at any second, but she looked dead serious.

"Nice to meet you." Naruto yawned.

The poodle barked once again, making Grover chuckle. "Yes, I do suppose he smells like a fox."

Naruto froze and stared at the dog. "I have the scent of the fox on me?" The dog just nodded.

Grover chuckled and said, "Aw don't worry about that. Besides, she said that she likes that smell."

Naruto nervously chuckled. "I don't know if I should be happy about that or worried that a dog like that smell."

"You guys can't be serious!" Percy said with annoyance. "Why are we greeting him? I am not saying hello!"

"Percy," Annabeth said. "I said hello to the poodle. You say hello to the poodle."

The poodle growled.

Percy relented and mumbled, "Hello, Gladiola."

Grover then explained that he'd come across Gladiola in the woods and they'd struck up a conversation. The poodle had run away from a rich local family, who'd posted a $200 reward for his return. Gladiola didn't really want to go back to his family, but he was willing to if it meant helping Grover.

"How does Gladiola know about the reward?" Percy asked.

"He read the signs," Grover deadpanned. "Duh."

"Of course," Percy said, while rolling his eyes "Silly me."

"So we turn in Gladiola," Annabeth explained in her best strategy voice, "we get money, and we buy tickets to Los Angeles. Simple."

"And we don't want to use my money unless absolutely necessary." Andrew said.

Percy looked worried for a second, "Not another bus."

"No," Annabeth agreed. She pointed downhill, toward train tracks they hadn't been able to see last night in the dark. "There's an Amtrak station half a mile that way. According to Gladiola, the westbound train leaves at noon."

"Alright then, let's get this guy back to his owner." Naruto said then froze, worrying the others.

"What is it Naruto?" Annabeth asked.

Naruto looked at the poodle with worried eyes, "This is just like the Tora mission! I just hope his owner doesn't treat him like _she_ does." He replied, making Andrew pale. Annabeth and the other two boys were just confused.

XXXX

After explaining to them about the Tora mission and getting the poodle back to its owner, they were at the train station. Thankfully, the poodle's owner was not crazy like the Fire Lord's wife, much to everyone's relief.

When they boarded and the train started moving, they relaxed, hoping the monster would not attack. Percy noticed that Andrew was writing something down in a note pad that he had seen the him write into at camp every now and then. "Um…what are you writing down Andrew?"

"Future weapons for my friends." he replied, getting Annabeth's and Grover's attention. He looked up at them and smiled. It seemed that they wanted to know. "Right. Well when we return to our world we will be visiting our friends from the academy I want to give them weapons that best fit their fighting style."

"We have quite a few friends at home. Each with unique styles. When I'm done I'll show them all to you."

"Wow, when are you going to make these?" Annabeth asked with a wide smile.

"Probably after this quest, with Beckendorf's help. Besides, I get the feeling the feeling that after this quest we will meet again but in worse times and you guys will need our help so I decided that if our friends would be helping us they could use celestial bronze weapons." Andrew explained.

"Oh." Annabeth said and left it at that.


	14. Blowing up the Gateway Arch

NY 14

For the next two days, they road on the train and the good thing was that they had not run into any monsters. They all, mostly Percy, were still on edge. On the way to their destination, Naruto, Andrew and Percy saw some odd things, like a family of Centaurs riding alongside them and one of them, the kid who looked like a second grader on a house, waved to them. While Percy looked to the adults to see if they saw, Naruto just smiled and waved. One other thing they saw a large golden lion, but they knew lions were not in America.

Right now however, he and the other were dumbly looking at a newspaper article. It had a picture with the five of them on it, Percy had a wild look and Naruto had a serious look on his face, while Andrew looked like he had neutral look but was seething inside. The article read:

_Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson, wanted for questioning in the Long Island disappearance of his mother two weeks ago, is shown here fleeing from the bus where he accosted several elderly female passengers. The bus exploded on an east New Jersey roadside shortly after Jackson fled the scene. Based on eyewitness accounts, police believe the boy may be traveling with four teenage accomplices. His stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward for information leading to his capture. He also stated that they took in two kids last year, the blond one, Naruto, and the brown haired one, Andrew for they went with Percy Jackson when he went with his mom on a trip._

"Oh that is just terrific!" Naruto commented sarcastically.

"Don't worry," Annabeth reassured them "Mortal police could never find us." For some reason, she did not sound all that sure about it.

When they tried to sleep on the train, Naruto slept like a log but poor Percy could not sleep with Grover AND Naruto's snoring. Andrew sat off to the side half asleep but somehow still alert as he found out when he threw a rock at Andrew which he caught and smirked. At some point, Grover's shoes fell off; making Percy and Annabeth hurriedly put it back on. Andrew smirked but stayed silent watching the two with interest. Naruto cracked open an eye and smirked as well at that before closing his eyes while just listening to them.

"So," Annabeth asked Percy, once they had gotten Grover's sneaker readjusted. "Who wants your help?"

"What do you mean?" the boy asked with his own question.

"When you were asleep just now, you mumbled, 'I won't help you.' Who were you dreaming about?" Percy seemed reluctant for a moment before he caved in and explained what was going on in his dream. Annabeth was quiet for a long time. "That doesn't sound like Hades. He always appears on a black throne, and he never laughs."

"He offered my mother in trade. Who else could do that?" Percy countered.

"I guess ... if he meant, 'Help me rise from the Underworld.' If he wants war with the Olympians. But why ask you to bring him the master bolt if he already has it?" Annabeth guessed.

"I am going the feeling that is someone a lot more darker than Hades." Andrew's sudden voice made the duo jump.

"How long have you been awake?" Annabeth asked a little irritated.

"Before Grover's shoes fell off and when you threw the rock at me." he replied simply, making Percy rub the back of his head embarrassed.

"So who do you think it is?" Annabeth asked.

"Well, considering that you were next to a giant hole in the ground and the dead feared it, I would say a titan, more like your Gramps." Naruto replied making himself known.

"Who" both Percy and Annabeth asked with confused faces, making Naruto sigh.

"Your grandfather." That statement made Annabeth gasp and Percy's eyes widened. Grover continued to snore away.

"Why do you call him that?" Percy asked.

"Well, I like to give people nicknames and well, I don't have a lot of respect for the guy. So He was chopped into pieces after all." Naruto said, making the three chuckle a bit.

"Even so." Annabeth recovered and then warned her friends, "We can't barter with either one of them Kronos is an evil titan and Hades can't really be trusted. He's deceitful, heartless, and greedy. I don't care if his Kindly Ones weren't as aggressive this time—"

"This time?" the boys asked.

Her hand crept up to her necklace. She fingered a glazed white bead painted with the image of a pine tree, one of her clay end-of-summer tokens. "Let's just say I've got no love for the Lord of the Dead. You can't be tempted to make a deal for your mom."

"Maybe he had a reason to do what he did back then." Andrew suggested. "I mean, we have not heard both sides yet." Annabeth stared at him for a moment before Percy said something.

"What would you do if it was your dad?"

"That's easy," she said. "I'd leave him to rot."

"You're not serious?" Percy asked while Naruto stared at the girl.

Annabeth's gray eyes fixed on the two boys. She wore the same expression she'd worn in the woods at camp, the moment she drew her sword against the hellhound. "My dad's resented me since the day I was born," she said. "He never wanted a baby. When he got me, he asked Athena to take me back and raise me on Olympus because he was too busy with his work. She wasn't happy about that. She told him heroes had to be raised by their mortal parent."

"But how ... I mean, I guess you weren't born in a hospital..."

"I appeared on my father's doorstep, in a golden cradle, carried down from Olympus by Zephyr the West Wind. You'd think my dad would remember that as a miracle, right? Like, maybe he'd take some digital photos or something. But he always talked about my arrival as if it were the most inconvenient thing that had ever happened to him. When I was five he got married and totally forgot about Athena. He got a 'regular' mortal wife, and had two 'regular' mortal kids, and tried to pretend I didn't exist."

Percy didn't know what to say to that, so he looked out the window just as the lights of nearby city passed by. He wanted to make her feel better after she said all that.

"My mom married a really awful guy," He started and she turned her head back to him. "Grover said she did it to protect me, to hide me in the scent of a human family. Maybe that's what your dad was thinking."

Annabeth kept worrying at her necklace. She was pinching the gold college ring that hung with the beads. It was probably her dad's. Naruto decided to help out. "At least you two had a family." He started, catching their attention, Andrew sighed knowing what he was going to say but stayed silent, "Andrew and I grew up in an orphanage where they treated us like scum. We were barely given anything to eat and was only treated right when the village leader came to visit me. At age 4, we were given my own apartment when the orphanage kicked us out. Until we became genin, we only had the Hokage and the Ramen stand owner to call family. Everyone else in the village treated us like we were the plague."

Both Annabeth and Percy grimaced. Percy could get that wrapped around his head but there was a lot of crap in this new world of the other gods that he could not as well. Annabeth just could not believe that but he words were not deceitful.

" Even so, he doesn't care about me," she said while trying to keep the tears out of her eyes. "His wife—my stepmom—treated me like a freak. She wouldn't let me play with her children. My dad went along with her. Whenever something dangerous happened—you know, something with monsters—they would both look at me resentfully, like, 'How dare you put our family at risk.' Finally, I took the hint. I wasn't wanted. I ran away."

"How old were you?" asked Percy.

"But ... you couldn't have gotten all the way to Half-Blood Hill by yourself."

"Not alone, no. Athena watched over me, guided me toward help. I made a couple of unexpected friends who took care of me, for a short time, anyway." She said sadly.

Andrew gave a sad smile and said, "Our resident satyr, Thalia, and Luke, right?" Annabeth nodded. Naruto leaned his head back and sighed. "You know, I think that all Half Blood have crap childhoods." They silently agreed with him.

XXXX

Toward the end of the second day on the train, June 13, eight days before the summer solstice, they passed through some golden hills and over the Mississippi River into St. Louis. Andrew and Annabeth craned her neck to see the Gateway the Gateway Arch in the distance. To Naruto and Percy, all it looked like was a giant shopping bag handle that happened to be in a large city.

"I want to do that." Annabeth sighed as she looked at the Arch. Naruto looked at her oddly.

"What?" Percy asked.

"Build something like that. You ever see the Parthenon?"

"Nope, but in pictures I have." Naruto replied while the other two nodded to what Naruto said.

"Someday, I'm going to see it in person. I'm going to build the greatest monument to the gods, ever. Something that'll last a thousand years."

Naruto rose an eyebrow while Percy laughed, "You? An architect?"

Her cheeks flushed. "Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down, like a certain god of earthquakes I could mention."

"Oh burn." Naruto smirked. "So, should we buy some large scale LEGOs for you once this quest is over?" he teased, making the girl glare at him some before she chuckled a bit. She would not admit it but she used to play with LEGOs a lot.

"Sorry," Annabeth said after a bit as she turned back to Percy. "That was mean."

"Can't we work together a little?" Percy pleaded. "I mean, didn't Athena and Poseidon ever cooperate?"

Annabeth had to think about it. "I guess ... the chariot," she said tentatively. "My mom invented it, but Poseidon created horses out of the crests of waves. So they had to work together to make it complete."

"Then we can cooperate, too. Right?" Percy asked as they entered the city and the Arch disappeared behind a hotel.

"I suppose." she said at last.

"You know, I will never understand why some people do what their parents do." Naruto said mostly to himself, but they heard him.

XXXX

The train pulled into the Amtrak station downtown. The intercom told them they would have a three-hour layover before departing for Denver.

Grover stretched. Before he was even fully awake, he said, "Food."

"Come on, goat boy," Annabeth said. "Sightseeing."

"Sightseeing?"

"The Gateway Arch," she said. "This may be my only chance to ride to the top. Are you coming or not?"

Andrew agreed never seeing it in person and was curious about it as well. The other three boys exchanged looks. Naruto shrugged, he like seeing new things. Percy didn't want to but he was bored and he didn't feel like letting her go alone. Grover shrugged. "As long as there's a snack bar without monsters."

The Arch was about a mile from the train station. Late in the day the lines to get in weren't that long. They threaded their way through the underground museum, looking at covered wagons and other junk from the 1800s. It wasn't all that thrilling, but Annabeth kept telling them interesting facts about how the Arch was built, and Grover kept passing the two boys jelly beans, so it was not all bad. Though, Naruto kept thinking. _My god she sounds like Iruka._

Percy kept looking around them and asked Grover, "Smell anything?"

The goat man took his nose out of the jelly-bean bag long enough to sniff. "Underground," he said distastefully. "Underground air always smells like monsters. Probably doesn't mean anything."

"I don't sense anything either." Andrew said.

Percy thought about it and said, "Guys. You know the gods' symbols of power?"

Annabeth had been in the middle of reading about the construction equipment used to build the Arch, but she looked over. "Yeah?"

"Well, Hade—"

Grover cleared his throat. "We're in a public place... You mean, our friend downstairs?"

"Um, right," Percy said sheepishly. "Our friend _way_ downstairs. Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's?"

"You mean the Helm of Darkness," Annabeth said. "Yeah, that's his symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting."

" He was at the solstice?"

She nodded. "It's the only time he's allowed to visit Olympus—the darkest day of the year. But his helm is a lot more powerful than my invisibility hat, if what I've heard is true..."

"It allows him to become darkness," Grover confirmed. "He can melt into shadow or pass through walls. He can't be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?"

"It sounds like my bloodline" Andrew muttered to himself.

"But then ... how do we know he's not here right now, watching us?" Percy asked nervously.

Grover and Annabeth exchanged looks before saying, "We don't."

"That may be true but he can't hide his presence not fully. Naruto and I could sense him easily." Andrew said but they did not make them feel any better.

"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better," Percy said sarcastically . "Got any blue jelly beans left?" Grover nodded and gave him some.

It seemed Percy was calm until they had to get into a small car that would send them up the Arch. Andrew groaned inwardly, He knew Percy hated small spaces but they had to use that to go up so he put a reassuring hand on the younger boy's shoulder. Percy smiled a bit at that. They got shoehorned into the car with this big fat lady and her dog, a Chihuahua with a rhinestone collar and she seemed to have a iguana laying over her shoulders as well with the same collar. This lady and her pets put both ninja on edge for some odd reason, maybe it was because none of the guards had said anything about the animals or the strange energy they felt.

However, the arched elevator was not helping their stomachs at all.

"No parents?" the fat lady asked.

She had beady eyes; pointy, coffee-stained teeth; a floppy denim hat, and a denim dress that bulged so much, she looked like a blue-jean blimp.

"They're below," Annabeth told her. "Scared of heights."

"Oh, the poor darlings." She commented.

"Aw don't worry about it. "Naruto said. "they didn't want to spoil our fun, so they told us to go up without them." The lady just nodded to that.

The Chihuahua and the iguana hissed/growled. The woman said, "Now, now, my darlings. Behave." The dog had beady eyes like its owner, intelligent and vicious. The iguana looked lazy but also agile and intelligent.

At the top of the Arch, the observation deck reminded them of a tin can with carpeting. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other. The view was okay, but it was making Percy and Andrew sick a bit. High places and closed spaces didn't mix well for them especially Andrew since he's afraid of heights.

Annabeth kept talking about structural supports, and how she would've made the windows bigger, and designed a see-through floor. She probably could've stayed up there for hours, but luckily for the boys, the park ranger announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes.

Percy quickly steered them to the elevator but he and Andrew could not get in because there was already too many people there. "New car you two." The park ranger said.

"We'll get out," Annabeth said. "We'll wait with you."

See thing was going to mess everything up, Percy shook his head and said, "Naw, it's okay. I'll see you guys at the bottom. Besides, if anything happens, Andrew has my back, right?"

"Yeah!" Andrew replied with a smile after he took a deep breath happy to be closer to the ground.

Naruto, Grover and Annabeth both looked nervous, but they let the elevator door slide shut. Their car disappeared down the ramp.

The only people left on the observation deck were Percy, Andrew, a little boy with his parents, the park ranger, and the fat lady with her Chihuahua and the iguana.

The boys smiled at the fat lady and she smiled back with her forked tongue flickering between her teeth. They paused at that, forked tongues were not normal. _Ok….this is not good._ Andrew thought while getting ready for whatever she does and noticed that Percy was still processing it. He rolled his eyes at that.

Before either of them could really do anything, the Chihuahua and the iguana jumped off the fat lady. The mini dog began to bark at Percy while the iguana was hissing at Andrew.

"Now, now, my darlings," the lady said. "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."

"Look, a doggie and a lizard!" the little boy shouted while his parent pulled him back.

The two animal bared their teeth at the demi-god duo and the lady sighed. "Alright my children, if you insist."

"Uh….did you just call the Chihuahua and the iguana your children?" Percy asked and Andrew knew something was wrong with this lady.

"Chimera, dear," the fat lady corrected. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make, but yes the chimera and the serpent are my children." She rolled up her denim sleeves, revealing that the skin of her arms was scaly and green. When she smiled, they saw that her teeth were fangs. The pupils of her eyes were sideways slits, like a reptile's.

_Oh no…not the MOTHER of monsters! That would mean we have to face the REAL Chimera AND a unknown monster! _Andrew thought frantically. He knew this lady's name. "Echidna." He whispered with fear. He did NOT think he could face her yet!

The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a roar. While that was happening to the seemingly small and harmless Chihuahua, the iguana's hissing became louder and more numerous as it grew to a gigantic size, and growing more heads. It's lime green scales turned to a swamp green color and had five heads coming from its neck. The serpent looked like very agile and dangerous.

The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back toward the exit, straight into the park ranger, who stood, paralyzed, gaping at the monsters.

The Chimera was so tall its back rubbed against the roof. It had the head of a lion with a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of its shaggy behind. The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and the plate-sized dog tag was now easy to read: CHIMERA—RABID, FIREBREATHING, POISONOUS—IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS—EXT. 954.

The same could be said for the serpent. It had swamp green scales covering it's body, very sharp teeth that had its fill of flesh, and a long and sharp claws on its front and only two legs, that did not look friendly and had spines going from each head to the base of the neck. It also had a collar around each neck that said: HYDRA—FERAL, DANGERUOUS, VERY FAST, AND EATS CHILDREN—IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS-EXT. 920.

Andrew grumbled as he made his scythe appear in his hands. He growled when Percy was frozen in fear and was NOT uncapping Riptide!

The snake lady made a hissing noise that might've been laughter. "Be honored, Percy Jackson, Andrew Namikaze. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test two heroes with some of my brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!"

"Isn't that a kind of anteater?" Percy asked, making Andrew and a lot of other people face fault.

She howled, her reptilian face turning brown and green with rage. "I hate it when people say that! I hate Australia! Naming that ridiculous animal after me. For that, Percy Jackson, my son shall destroy you!"

The Chimera charge with its Lion teeth gnashing, making Percy leap to the side before landing next to the family that was still up here. He looked back to see their fearful faces and he uncapped his sword. He would not let these people be harmed! He ran to the other side of the platform before yelling, "Hey Chihuahua!" It roared and sent a stream of fire out of its mouth, creating a large hole in the wall. _Oh great, we blowtorched a national monument. _Percy deadpanned to himself.

While that was going on, Andrew was dealing with his own problem. He dodged several globs of acid that was shot out of each mouth. Andrew swung his scythe and cut off two heads causing Echidna too laugh. "You are a fool!"

Four new heads sprouted from the body and he swore. He quickly jumped up to avoid the teeth and tried to slash at its back, it evade the strike. He then heard the Chimera roar and saw the snake like tail bit into Percy's leg, making Percy wobble near the edge of the newly created hole.

"Oh my, I guess they don't make heroes like they use to, eh, son?" Echidna cackled, making the Namikaze heir glare at her. Percy weakly glanced at the water below them and Andrew knew what the boy was going to do. Before he could get the boy's attention, the snake like woman spoke again. "If you are the son of Poseidon, you would not fear water. Jump, Percy Jackson. Show me that water will not harm you. Jump and retrieve your sword. Prove your bloodline."

Percy did not look convinced; he did not think he would make it, even if he was the son of the Sea God. The Chimera reared its head back while its mouth began to glow, it was getting ready to chug more fire at the boy. "You have no faith," Echidna told him. "You do not trust the gods. I cannot blame you, little coward. Better you die now. The gods are faithless. The poison is in your heart."

Percy grimaced, she was right, he felt that everything was slowing down; he looked back down at the water and then at Naruto and gave a weak smile as he fell of the platform just as the fire came rushing towards him. "Die faithless one!" Echidna rasped out.

"PERCY!" Andrew yelled out to his friend fell to the water below, he never heard Percy call out to his father softly. He growled as the chimera and the Hydra was on him now. He saw that the mortals left and made a decision then and there. He started to go through a series of hand seals. "What are you doing you stupid demi-god. You will never be able to defeat my son..." "Katon: Rasenkaze!"

A spiraling inferno started around them. Preventing the monsters from escaping. His voice got more demonic **"Now you will feel true fear!"** His body then started to change. His next grew scales and got longer as his body morphed. He got on all fours as he grew a spiked tail and his body grew to a size slightly bigger than the hydra. He had grown two wings folded behind him and another head grew and morphed. He had transformed into a rust colored dragon bigger than the hydra. As the fiery tornado swirled around them.

The Chimera began whimpering along with Echidna but the Hydras hissing increased a hundred fold. The head on the right looked at the 10 headed serpent and leveled its gaze at the overgrown lizard. The Hydras heads shot acid at him despite Echidnas protests. The dragon opened its mouth and shouted "Fuuton: Renkuudan" a compressed ball of air flew to the Hydra catching the acid in the air and redirecting it to the Hydra.

The Hydra hissed loudly in pain until it finally died from its own acid dissolving in the famous yellow dust. Echidna was now sweating bullets and the Chimera was laying on the floor head bowed whimpering to the dragon before it hoping it will be spared. Sadly it was wrong when the two dragon heads turned to them and shouted " Wind Release: Rising Dragon, Katon: Karyūdan!"

A Dragon of pure wind shot out of the right mouth and a dragon made of pure fire out of the left merged creating a huge and dangerous looking element dragon that hurtled to the monsters burning them until even the dust wasn't left.

After that the dragon jumped out of the hole made by the Chimera's fire and saw Percy crash into the water. One of the heads looked back up at the Arch and cursed. It was on fire thanks to the chimera and him!

"I really hope the mist can cover this." Andrew mumbled as he plunged into the water. Once in the murky and polluted his form changed to that of a water wyvern. More specifically a Plesioth. He swam downstream until he reached Percy scaring the hell out of him.

_What the hell are you? _Percy asked telepathically. Andrew was shocked that Percy was speaking to him telepathically. _It's me Andrew._

Now it was Percy's turn to be shocked. '_What are you? How'd you change into that?' 'Some type of water wyvern. I turned into a two headed dragon earlier when I killed the monsters though. No mortals were harmed though._

Percy sighed in relief and then asked '_How are you able to transform into dragons?' 'My guess is from my god parent. He is a five headed dragon after all. So he is probably the origin of all species of dragon which allows me to transform into any of them.' 'That's awesome!'_

Suddenly through the gloom a woman the color of the water appeared. She had billowing hair and her eyes were green like Percy's.

A lump formed in Percy's throat. "Mom?"

_No, child, only a messenger, though your mother's fate isn't as hopeless as you believe. Go to the Santa Monica Beach._

_'What?'_

_It's your father's will. Before you descend into the underworld you must go to Santa Monica. Please Percy, Andrew I can't stay long. The river here is too foul for my presence. Andrew you need to be there as well. Now go. You must go to Santa Monica! And boys, don't trust the gifts... _

She slowly faded until she was no longer there. Percy and Andrew (as a human) climbed out of the river on to a floating McDonalds. They heard, "Mommy looked, those boys walked out of the water!:

"That's nice dear." A mom told her child.

"But they are not even wet!"

A news lady was talking for the camera: "Probably not a terrorist attack, we're told, but it's still very early in the investigation. We're trying to get to some of the survivors, to question them about eyewitness reports of two people falling from the Arch."

At the word, survivor, Percy sighed in relief. "... two adolescent boys," another reporter was saying. "Channel Five has learned that surveillance cameras show them going wild on the observation deck, somehow setting off this freak explosion. Hard to believe, John, but that's what we're hearing. Again, no confirmed fatalities ..."

"Uh…we should get going." Andrew replied with a sweatdrop.

"Right." Percy said as they kept their heads down.

They had almost lost hope in finding their friends until they heard Grover bleat out, "Per-ccy! Andrew!" Percy got tackled by his goat like friend while Annabeth ran up and hugged Andrew first and then Percy when the goat boy got off.

She put on an angry look and yelled, "We can't leave you two idiots alone for five minutes! What the hell happened?"

"I sort of fell." Percy shrugged nervously.

"Percy! Six hundred and thirty feet?" She said exasperated. "And what about you Andrew?"

"I killed Echidna, a hydra and the Chimera while transforming into a dragon. After I flew into the water and met up with Percy. " Andrew smiled brightly while his friends just gawked at him.

Behind them, a cop shouted, "Gangway!" The crowd parted, and a couple of paramedics hustled out, rolling a woman on a stretcher. Percy recognized her immediately as the mother of the little boy who'd been on the observation deck. She was saying, "And then this huge dog, this huge firebreathing Chihuahua—"

"Okay, ma'am," the paramedic said. "Just calm down. Your family is fine. The medication is starting to kick in."

"I'm not crazy! This boy jumped out of the hole and his friend torched the place. Then she saw the group. "There they are! It's those two boys!"

The boys paled before they dragged Naruto, Annabeth and Grover away, not wanting to be the center of attention.

"What's going on?" Annabeth demanded. "Was she talking about the Chihuahua on the elevator?"

"Oh yeah….that was no Chihuahua. That was the Chimera that bit Percy, who is somehow all better." Andrew explained while looking at Percy.

"Uh…water heals me?" Percy guessed with a shrug.

"Obviously. You're the son of Poseidon" Andrew said. "I had to fight that iguana which turned out to be a Hydra and the Chimera since you jumped off!" Annabeth and Grover looked at the two like they were crazy while Naruto laughed his ass off, so the boys decided to explain in detail. Percy told them about the Chimera, Echidna, his high dive act, and some underwater lady's message. Andrew told them about transforming into a dragon and decimating all the monsters then.

Before Annabeth could respond, they passed another reporter doing a news break, however they almost froze when he said, "Percy Jackson and Andrew Namikaze. That's right, Dan. Channel Twelve has learned that the boys who may have caused this explosion fits the description of two young man wanted by authorities for a serious New Jersey bus accident three days ago. And the boys are believed to be traveling west. For our viewers at home, here is a photo of them."

They quickly ducked under the news van to get away.

"First….we really need to get the heck out of town before we do anything else!" Naruto announced, which they agreed to whole heartedly. Somehow, they made it back to the Amtrak station without getting spotted. They boarded the train bound for Denver just as it pulled out of the station. The train trundled west as darkness fell, police lights still pulsing against the St. Louis skyline behind them.


	15. We meet a god who buys cheesburgers?

The next afternoon, June 14, seven days before the solstice, the train rolled into Denver. They haven't eaten since the night before in the dining car, somewhere in Kansas. They also haven't taken a shower since Half-Blood Hill, making them pretty noticeable to the other passengers.

"Let's try to contact Chiron," Annabeth said. "I want to tell him about your talk with the river spirit, but we will not tell him about Andrew turning into a dragon, he already has a enough to worry about."

"We can't use phones, right?" Percy asked.

"I'm not talking about phones." Annabeth replied. Instead, they wandered through downtown for about half an hour, though no one was sure what Annabeth was looking for. The air was dry and hot, which felt weird after the humidity of St. Louis. Everywhere they turned, the Rocky Mountains seemed to be staring at them, like a tidal wave about to crash into the city.

Finally they came upon an empty do-it-yourself car wash. They veered toward the stall farthest from the street, keeping their eyes open for patrol cars. They were four adolescents hanging out at a car wash without a car; any cop worth his doughnuts would figure they were up to no good.

"What exactly are we doing?" Percy asked, as Grover took out the spray gun.

"It's seventy-five cents," the goat man grumbled. "I've only got two quarters left. Annabeth?"

Andrew sighed as he flipped a quarter to him. "Here ya go."

"Excellent," Grover said. "We could do it with a spray bottle, of course, but the connection isn't as good, and my arm gets tired of pumping."

They looked even more confused than before. "What are you talking about?" the boys asked.

Grover fed in the quarters and set the knob to FINE MIST. "I-M'ing."

"Instant messaging?" Percy asked.

"Iris-messaging," Annabeth corrected. "The rainbow goddess Iris carries messages for the gods. If you know how to ask, and she's not too busy, she'll do the same for half-bloods."

"That's pretty neat." Naruto said thoughtfully.

"You summon the goddess with a spray gun?" Percy asked, not believing this.

Grover pointed the nozzle in the air and water hissed out in a thick white mist. "Unless you know an easier way to make a rainbow." Sure enough, late afternoon light filtered through the vapor and broke into colors.

Annabeth walked up to Percy and held out her hand. "Drachma, please." Deciding to go along with it, he gave it to her.

She raised the coin over her head. "O goddess, accept our offering." She threw the drachma into the rainbow. It disappeared in a golden shimmer. "Half-Blood Hill," Annabeth requested. For a moment, nothing happened. However, they were surprised that the coin just disappeared in the rainbow.

Then they saw through the mist at strawberry fields, and the Long Island Sound in the distance. The image seemed to be set on the porch of the Big House. Standing with his back to us at the railing was a sandy-haired guy in shorts and an orange tank top. He was holding a bronze sword and seemed to be staring intently at something down in the meadow.

"Luke!" Percy called.

He turned, eyes wide. "Percy!" His scarred face broke into a grin. "Are you with Annabeth, Andrew and Naruto, too? Thank the gods! Are you guys okay?"

"Heh, never better man!" Naruto replied with smirking at Annabeth.

"Doing ok for now, fighting the monsters that come our way." Andrew said massaging his left shoulder.

"We're ... uh ... fine," Annabeth stammered. She was madly straightening her dirty T-shirt, trying to comb the loose hair out of her face. "We thought—Chiron—I mean—"

"He's down at the cabins." Luke's smile faded. "We're having some issues with the campers. Listen, is everything cool with you? Is Grover all right?"

"I'm right here," Grover called. He held the nozzle out to one side and stepped into Luke's line of vision. "What kind of issues?" Just then a big Lincoln Continental pulled into the car wash with its stereo turned to maximum hip-hop. As the car slid into the next stall, the bass from the subwoofers vibrated so much, it shook the pavement.

"Like we are not trying to have a conversation here with Luke through some mist." Naruto grumbled before he shook his head, realizing how crazy that sounded.

"Chiron had to—what's that noise?" Luke yelled.

"I'll take care of it.'" Annabeth yelled back, looking very relieved to have an excuse to get out of sight. "Grover, come on!"

"What?" Grover said. "But—"

"Give Percy the nozzle and come on!" she ordered. Grover sighed as he gave Percy the hose, grumbling something under his breath as he left.

"Chiron had to break up a fight," Luke shouted to the duo over the music. "Things are pretty tense here. Word leaked out about the Zeus—Poseidon—Hades standoff. We're still not sure how— probably the same scumbag who summoned the hellhound. Now the campers are starting to take sides. It's shaping up like the Trojan War all over again. Aphrodite, Ares, and Apollo are backing Poseidon and Hades, more or less. Athena is backing Zeus."

"Oh great, just what we need." Naruto called out, throwing his hands above his head while Percy shivered at the thought of the Ares cabin backing him.

In the next stall, they heard Annabeth and some guy arguing with each other, then the music's volume decreased drastically.

"So what's your status?" Luke asked . "Chiron will be sorry he missed you guys."

They began to relay everything to their friend, including Percy's dreams. However, Luke was more surprised at the battle Andrew and Percy had. "I wish I could be there," Luke told them. "We can't help much from here, it had to be Hades who took the master bolt. He was there at Olympus at the winter solstice. I was chaperoning a field trip and we saw him."

"But Chiron said the gods can't take each other's magic items directly." Percy said.

"That's true," Luke said, looking troubled. "Still ... Hades has the helm of darkness. How could anybody else sneak into the throne room and steal the master bolt? You'd have to be invisible." They were silent for a while before he realized what he said. "Oh, hey," he protested. "I didn't mean Annabeth. She and I have known each other forever. She would never ... I mean, she's like a little sister to me."

"I doubt that she would do that anyway." Andrew said, thinking that her personality would not let her do that. In the stall next to them, the music stopped completely. A man screamed in terror, car doors slammed, and the Lincoln peeled out of the car wash.

"You'd better go see what that was," Luke said. "Listen, are you wearing the flying shoes? I'll feel better if I know they've done you some good. Oh and Andrew, Naruto, how are you holding up, with being here."

"Oh I am doing well. Nothing major happening right now but better than what it was like before." Naruto said. "Never better" was Andrew's reply.

Percy nervously chuckled and said, "Yeah, I am wearing them. They are pretty handy"

"Really?" Luke grinned. "They fit and everything?" The water shut off. The mist started to evaporate.

"Well, take care of yourself out there in Denver," Luke called, his voice getting fainter. "And tell Grover it'll be better this time! Nobody will get turned into a pine tree if he just—"

But the mist was gone, and Luke's image faded to nothing. They were now alone in the empty car stall. "Smooth lie." Naruto commented. Andrew frowned at the spot Luke was at a moment ago. Luke seemed too cheerful, but that could have been his imagination.

Annabeth and Grover came around the corner, laughing, but stopped when they saw their faces. Annabeth's smile faded. "What happened, Percy? What did Luke say?"

"Not much," Percy lied. "Come on, let's find some dinner."

"Heh, good idea Percy, but this time, I am paying." Andrew said as he took out his wallet.

XXXX

A few minutes later, they were sitting at a booth in a gleaming chrome diner. All around them, families were eating burgers and drinking malts and sodas. Finally the waitress came over. She raised her eyebrow skeptically. "Well?"

"We, um, want to order dinner." Percy offered.

"You kids have money to pay for it?"

Andrew chuckled, he started to go for his wallet until a rumble shook the entire place, a motorcycle the size of a baby elephant had pulled up to the curb. "O..k…" He got out as all conversation in the diner stopped. The motorcycle's headlight glared red. Its gas tank had flames painted on it, and a shotgun holster riveted to either side, complete with shotguns. The seat was leather—but leather that looked like ... well, Caucasian human skin.

The guy on the bike would've made pro wrestlers run for Mama. He was dressed in a red muscle shirt and black jeans and a black leather duster, with a hunting knife strapped to his thigh. He wore red wraparound shades, and he had the cruelest, most brutal face any of the kids had ever seen. And he also had oily black crew cut and cheeks that were scarred from many, many fights. Percy got the feeling he had seen this person before while Naruto felt like he knew the guy somehow. Andrew raised an eyebrow at the guy already figuring out who he was.

As he walked into the diner, a hot, dry wind blew through the place. All the people rose, as if they were hypnotized, but the biker waved his hand dismissively and they all sat down again. Everybody went back to their conversations. The waitress blinked, as if somebody had just pressed the rewind button on her brain. She asked us again, "You kids have money to pay for it?"

The biker said, "It's on me." He slid into their booth, which was way too small for him, and crowded Naruto against the window. He looked up at the waitress, who was gaping at him, and said, "Are you still here?" He pointed at her, and she stiffened. She turned as if she'd been spun around, then marched back toward the kitchen. He then turned his attention to the three boys.

They may have not been able to see his eye but that had a bad feeling about this guy…well Percy did anyway. They also felt an energy that made them want to hurt something. Anger, resentment, bitterness were what they felt and it made Percy want to hit the wall, Naruto and Andrew weren't affected at all by the man's aura.

The man smirked at them and said while pointing at each boy respectively, "So you mush me old Seaweed's kid and you two must be the shinobi."

"Bingo." Naruto smirked, not affected by the weird atmosphere, making the man raise an eyebrow. However, it was affecting Percy and he glared at the man. "What is it to you?"

Annabeth's eyes flashed Percy a warning while saying, "Percy, this is—"

The biker raised his hand. "S'okay," he said. "I don't mind a little attitude. Long as you remember who's the boss. You know who I am, little cousin?"

Andrew answered before Percy could. "Hmm, I think your Clarisse's dad, right? The God of War."

Ares grinned and took off his shades. Where his eyes should've been, there was only fire, empty sockets glowing with miniature nuclear explosions. "Heh, got that right brat! You're a smart kid. I heard about the minotaur incident. You got guts kid."

"Thanks." he replied in a bored tone.

Ares nodded before he rounded on Percy, "And you, I heard you broke my daughter's spear."

"She was asking for it."

"Probably. That's cool. I don't fight my kids' fights, you know? What I'm here for—I heard you were in town. I got a little proposition for you." Ares offered.

The waitress came back with heaping trays of food—cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and chocolate shakes. Ares handed her a few gold drachmas. She looked nervously at the coins. "But, these aren't..."

Ares pulled out his huge knife and started cleaning his fingernails. "Problem, sweetheart?"

The waitress swallowed, then left with the gold.

"You can't do that," Percy told Ares. "You can't just threaten people with a knife."

Ares laughed. "Are you kidding? I love this country. Second best place with Sparta in third. The Elemental Nations are my favorite with the constant fighting going on all the time, it's my personal heaven. Don't you carry a weapon, punk? You should. Dangerous world out there. Which brings me to my proposition. I need you to do me a favor."

"Wait, hold up!" Naruto interrupted with the time out sign. "You have been to the ninja world?"

"Oh yeah, learned a few tricks myself a few years back, heck I even fought some weird ass man who called himself a super pervert."

"Yeah Jiraiya. We met him once at the hot springs peeking on the girls side a week before we got here. Ever since then Naruto gave him a nickname..." Andrew said failing at hiding his smile.

"Oh brother….Ero-sennin." Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Is that what you call Jiraiya? Kid, I like you, you really got guts!" Ares laughed.

"Cool, maybe if your free one day, we can spar for fun!' Naruto said with a carefree smile while Annabeth and Grover looked at him like he was insane.

"HA! Maybe one day brat!" Ares laughed before he was interrupted by Percy, who was getting annoyed at being ignored.

"What favor could I do for a god?" He asked rudely.

"Something a god doesn't have time to do himself. It's nothing much. I left my shield at an abandoned water park here in town. I was going on a little ... date with my girlfriend. We were interrupted. I left my shield behind. I want you to fetch it for me."

"Why don't you go back and get it yourself?" Percy asked, but the fire in Ares' eyes sockets glowed a little hotter.

"Why don't I turn you into a prairie dog and run you over with my Harley? Because I don't feel like it. A god is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself, Percy Jackson. Will you prove yourself a coward?" He leaned forward. "Or maybe you only fight when there's a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you."

Percy's face turned into an angry scowl but he was calmed when Naruto put a hand on the boy's shoulder and he felt calmer somehow. Percy knew then and there that Ares was causing his anger, Ares wanted him to attack, but thanks to his friend, and he saw some reason, he would not give the man that satisfaction.

"We're not interested," Percy said. "We've already got a quest."

Ares' fiery eyes made the boy see things he would rather he didn't see—blood and smoke and corpses on the battlefield. "I know all about your quest, punk. When that item was first stolen, Zeus sent his best out looking for it: Apollo, Athena, Artemis, and me, naturally. If I couldn't sniff out a weapon that powerful ..." He licked his lips, as if the very thought of the master bolt made him hungry. "Well ... if I couldn't find it, you got no hope. Nevertheless, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Your dad and I go way back. After all, I'm the one who told him my suspicions about old Corpse Breath, of course me being the God of War, I enjoyed seeing the little fight they caused amongst themselves."

"You told him Hades stole the bolt?" all three boys asked.

"Sure. Framing somebody to start a war. Oldest trick in the book. I recognized it immediately. In a way, you got me to thank for your little quest."

"Gee thanks." Percy grumbled.

"So do you think Hades actually stole it?" Andrew asked.

"Tsk, I doubt it, old Corpse Breath has been bitching about to many dead people lately but no harm in checking." Ares admitted.

"Anyway, I'm a generous guy. Just do my little job, and I'll help you on your way. I'll arrange a ride west for you and your friends."

"We're doing fine on our own." Percy glared.

"Yeah, right. No money. No wheels. No clue what you're up against. Help me out, and maybe I'll tell you something you need to know. Something about your mom."

"My mom?" asked Percy.

He grinned. "That got your attention. The water park is a mile west on Delancy. You can't miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride." That made Naruto snort.

"What interrupted your date?" Percy asked with a smirk. "Something scare you off?"

Ares bared his teeth, but Percy had seen his threatening look before on Clarisse. There was something false about it, almost like he was nervous.

"You're lucky you met me, punk, and not one of the other Olympians. They're not as forgiving of rudeness as I am. I'll meet you back here when you're done. Don't disappoint me." After he said that, they blinked and he was gone! Percy wanted to believe that was just another dream, but Grover and Annabeth's eyes told him otherwise.

"Not good," Grover said. "Ares sought you out, Percy. This is not good."

"Eh, we might as well do it. No need to get a god angry at us." Naruto shrugged before getting looks from the three. "What?" Annabeth just shook head while Percy grinned a bit with Grover.

"It's probably some kind of trick," he said. "Forget Ares. Let's just go."

"We can't," Annabeth said. "Look, I hate Ares as much as anybody, but you don't ignore the gods unless you want serious bad fortune. He wasn't kidding about turning you into a rodent."

"Yeah, let's just get this over with. The sooner we get it done the better." Andrew replied in a serious voice.

Percy looked down at his cheeseburger and sighed, "Why does he need us?"

"Maybe it's a problem that requires brains," Annabeth said. "Ares has strength. That's all he has. Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes."

"Or he is just lazy." Andrew said in a bored tone.

"But this water park ... he acted almost scared. What would make a war god run away like that?"

Annabeth and Grover glanced nervously at each other. Annabeth said, "I'm afraid we'll have to find out."

XXXX

The sun was sinking behind the mountains by the time they found the water park. Judging from the sign, it once had been called WATERLAND, but now some of the letters were smashed out, so it read WAT R A D.

"Heh, sounds foreign." joked Naruto, getting a few laughs.

The main gate was padlocked and topped with barbed wire. Inside, huge dry waterslides and tubes and pipes curled everywhere, leading to empty pools. Old tickets and advertisements fluttered around the asphalt. With night coming on, the place looked sad and creepy.

"If Ares brings his girlfriend here for a date," Percy said, staring up at the barbed wire, "I'd hate to see what she looks like."

"Percy," Annabeth warned. "Be more respectful."

"Why? I thought you hated Ares."

"He's still a god. And his girlfriend is very temperamental."

"You don't want to insult her looks," Grover added.

"Who is she? Echidna?" asked Percy, making Naruto laugh.

"Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love!" Andrew informed him while Grover sighed with a dreamy look on his face.

"Right, sorry, besides, Ares would probably kick my ass." Grover shivered.

"Wait, I thought she was married to someone already." Percy replied, "Hephaestus."

"What's your point?" Grover said.

"Oh." Percy said, suddenly feeling the need to change the subject. "So how do we get in?"

_"Maia!" _Grover's shoes sprouted wings. He flew over the fence, did an unintended somersault in midair, then stumbled to a landing on the opposite side. He dusted off his jeans, as if he'd planned the whole thing. "You guys coming?"

Andrew grabbed onto Percy and Naruto grabbed Annabeth. "Wha-?" they both asked before they were sent flying into the air since both shinobi applied chakra to their legs increasing their jumping height and landed in front of Grover, who was gaping at them.

Naruto And Andrew let go of them and they feel to their knees and took in deep breaths. "Ugh….next time let me know when you're going to do that." Percy complained.

"Agreed." came Annabeth's shaky voice.

"Well, we could've destroyed the gate but that would bring unwanted attention to us. " Andrew replied with a smile as he walked ahead of them. Percy weakly glared at the two of their backs while muttering something about sadistic bastards, his suffering blond companion could not help but agree..

The shadows grew long as they walked through the park, checking out the attractions. Naruto smirked at some of them, wanting to try this place out sometime. Luckily for them, there were no monsters in site so they were safe.

They found a souvenir shop that had been left open. Merchandise still lined the shelves: snow globes, pencils, postcards, and racks of—

"Clothes," Annabeth said happily. "Fresh clothes."

"Yeah," Percy said. "But you can't just—"

"Watch me."

She snatched an entire row of stuff of the racks and disappeared into the changing room. A few minutes later she came out in Waterland flower-print shorts, a big red Waterland T-shirt, and commemorative Waterland surf shoes. A Waterland backpack was slung over her shoulder, obviously stuffed with more goodies.

"What the heck." Grover shrugged.

"Yeah, it couldn't hurt, these need a break anyway." Naruto commented. Soon the five of them were in Waterland clothes, like walking billboards.

They continued searching for the Tunnel of Love. Percy got the feeling that the whole park was holding its breath. "So Ares and Aphrodite," Percy said, to keep his mind off the growing dark, "they have a thing going?"

"That's old gossip, Percy," Annabeth told him. "Three-thousand-year-old gossip."

"What about Aphrodite's husband?" Percy asked.

"Well, you know," she said. "Hephaestus. The blacksmith. He was crippled when he was a baby, thrown off Mount Olympus by Zeus. So he isn't exactly handsome. Clever with his hands, and all, but Aphrodite isn't into brains and talent, you know?"

"I am curious as to why she married him in the first place." Naruto said thoughtfully, while Annabeth and Grover shrugged.

"Well, I heard she likes bikers now, so that could be why Ares is one." Annabeth suggested, making Naruto shrug his shoulders.

"Whatever." Percy replied, not wanting to know anymore. "Hephaestus knows?"

"Oh sure," Annabeth said. "He caught them together once. I mean, literally caught them, in a golden net, and invited all the gods to come and laugh at them. Hephaestus is always trying to embarrass them. That's why they meet in out-of-the-way places, like ..."

She stopped, looking straight ahead. "Like that." In front of them was an empty pool that would've been awesome for skateboarding. It was at least fifty yards across and shaped like a bowl.

Around the rim, a dozen bronze statues of Cupid stood guard with wings spread and bows ready to fire. On the opposite side from us, a tunnel opened up, probably where the water flowed into when the pool was full. The sign above it read, THRILL RIDE O' LOVE: THIS IS NOT YOUR PARENTS' TUNNEL OF LOVE!

Naruto snorted as they walked forward, "Didn't peg Ares to be the romantic type." However, Annabeth didn't think it was for regular romance.

Grover crept toward the edge. "Guys, look."

Marooned at the bottom of the pool was a pink-and-white two-seater boat with a canopy over the top and little hearts painted all over it. In the left seat, glinting in the fading light, was Ares' shield, a polished circle of bronze.

"This is too easy," Percy said. "So we just walk down there and get it?"

Annabeth ran her fingers along the base of the nearest Cupid statue. "There's a Greek letter carved here," she said. "Eta. I wonder ..."

"Grover," Percy said, "you smell any monsters?"

He sniffed the wind. "Nothing."

"What about you, Andrew, Naruto? You sense anything?"

"Nope." they replied.

"Good, let's just hope we don't run into Echidna like the Arch." Percy replied, while Grover had a hurt look.

"Sorry, but that was underground." Grover muttered.

"Sorry." Percy replied while taking a breath. "Ok, I am going in."

"I'll go with you." Grover didn't sound too enthusiastic; they guessed he was just making up for what happened in St Louis.

"No," he told him. "I want you to stay up top with the flying shoes. You're the Red Baron, a flying ace, remember? I'll be counting on you and the other two for backup, in case something goes wrong."

Grover puffed up his chest a little. "Sure. But what could go wrong?" Naruto slapped the back of his head.

"Never say that, because as soon as you do, something DOES happen!" Naruto commented.

"Sorry."

"I don't know. Just a feeling. Annabeth, come with me—"

"Are you kidding?" Annabeth replied while looking at the sea boy with a red face. Andrew smirking evilly in the background.

"What's the problem now?" Percy demanded.

"Me, go with you to the ... the 'Thrill Ride of Love'? How embarrassing is that? What if somebody saw me?"

"Who's going to see you?" Percy replied, his own face burning now. " Fine. I'll do it myself." He went to leave them but he noticed she was following him anyway, mumbling under her breath while Naruto was cackling evilly in his mind, while the smirk grew, scared Grover some. "What?" Percy asked when he saw Naruto.

Naruto's face contorted into that of an innocent smile while he looked the other way. "Oh nothing, nothing at all. Just be careful in there!" He said with a wave. Percy shook his head as he went in.

They watched as Percy and Annabeth got in the boat. Percy picked up some pink scarf, which Annabeth took away, say something about no love magic for him.

Percy scowled and reached for the shield, only to pale as his other hand hit a trip wire.

"Wait," Annabeth said.

"Too late."

"There's another Greek letter on the side of the boat, another Eta. This is a trap." She announced as the ride came to life and the boat drifted down the set stream.

Grover yelled, "Guys!"

"I called it!" Naruto replied with a smile. "Anyway, just think, him her, alone in the Tunnel of Love."

"Oh dear." Grover said with a blush.

"Besides, I think Luke is just a bit too old for her, don't you think?" Naruto replied with a smirk.

Grover sighed. "I can see what's happening."

**With Annabeth and Percy**

Percy was pulling Annabeth out of the water, apparently she freaked out thanks to some spiders. Then a countdown started as the screen brightened up. A voice announced the Hephaestus Show to all of Olympus. "Oh I gotta record this!" Naruto suddenly replied, making Grover look at him like he was insane as he made some shadow clones.

"Naruto! They are going to be shot out of there like a cannon!" Grover freaked out as he punched the clones, shutting them up for the moment.

"Aw don't worry about them. I am sure Annabeth can get Percy out of trouble." Naruto waved of Grover's concern. "Oh look, seems like she already thought of something." He was right, Annabeth had Percy hold back the water in there until the right moment.

Grover looked at Andrew who was listening to his I-pod and sighed. There was no winning against Naruto! Percy and Annabeth shot out of the ride above them. The clones caught them before the duo hit the asphalt.

Annabeth yelled, "Ouch!"

"Yeah, I bet that little trip hurt a bit." The clone holding her replied, "Or it could be that I caught you by the back of your collar." The other clone chuckled before they both disappeared, dropping Percy and Annabeth on the ground. However, since the clones had caught them in the air, they fell. Percy on his back with Annabeth landing on top of him. Annabeth blushed when she notice her face was inches from his and quickly got up before he noticed, but she saw Naruto smirking at her, making her blush even more.

A hundred yards away, at the entrance pool, the Cupid Cameras were still filming. The statues had swiveled so that their cameras were trained straight on them, the spotlights in their faces.

"Show's over!" Percy yelled. "Thank you! Good night!"

Naruto was waving his hands in the air like an idiot. However, he sent some kunai on the cameras, destroying them. "Oops!'

He turned back to the other and saw that Percy's eye was twitching. "We need to have a little talk with Ares."

"Yeah, I gotta ask the guy if he saw the show!" Naruto replied with a smile while Annabeth as still blushing.


	16. We take the Zoo express

**Hey guys sorry for the late update the first week of college was rough but I finally got the time to write my chapters. I am sorely disappointed with the lack of reviews though. I take everything to heart even if it is flames. I want to know what people think. Good, bad? please tell me and I'll fix it. I have written the last chapters but I will not post them until I get at least 15 reviews.**

**I haven't written a disclaimer in a while so here it is.**

**I don't own anything from the Lightning Theif or Naruto. They belong to Kishimoto and Rick Riordan.**

The war god was waiting for them in the diner parking lot, leaning on his motorcycle. "Well, well," he said. "You didn't get yourself killed."

Percy glared at him. "You knew it was a trap,"

Ares cracked a wicked smirk. "Bet that crippled blacksmith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on TV, but I gotta say, the ending was hilarious!" He then gave a thumbs up to Naruto, who just smiled.

Percy growled and shoved the shield in Ares' hands. "You're a jerk." Annabeth and Grover caught their breath. Ares grabbed the shield and spun it in the air like pizza dough. It changed form, melting into a bulletproof vest. He slung it across his back.

"See that truck over there?" He pointed to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street from the diner. "That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas." The demigods took one look at the truck and was able to read it because of the fact that it was in big black and white letters that were reversed. Heh, a good combination for people with dyslexia. It said: KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.

Percy gave Ares a dead panned looked. "You have got to be kidding me."

Ares snapped his fingers. The back door of the truck unlatched. "Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job." He slung a blue nylon backpack off his handlebars and tossed it to him.

Inside were fresh clothes for all of them, twenty bucks in cash, a pouch full of golden drachmas, and a bag of Double Stuf Oreos. Naruto smirked, "Awesome!"

"I don't want your lousy—" Percy growled out before Grover got behind him and covered his mouth.

"Thank you, Lord Ares," Grover interrupted, giving Percy his best red-alert warning look. "Thanks a lot."

Percy gritted his teeth, feeling the oppressive aura that Ares was giving off. He turned his head back to the diner and saw the waitress from before. He was nervously looking at Ares, like he was going to hurt them or something.

She even dragged out the fry cook to look. She said something, not that him or the now watching Andrew could make out, then the man took out a camera and snapped a photo of the group. Percy felt his eye twitch. He could already see the news headline: TWELVE-YEAR-OLD OUTLAW BEATS UP DEFENSELESS BIKER And he could tell that Naruto would just laugh at it.

"You owe me one more thing," Percy said as he turned back to Ares and trying to keep his voice in check. By now, Grover had let go of his friend but stayed close….just in case. "You promised me information about my mother."

"You sure you can handle the news?" He kick-started his motorcycle. "She's not dead."

Percy and Andrew had shocked looks on their faces. "What do you mean?"

"I mean she was taken away from the Minotaur before she could die. She was turned into a shower of gold, right? That's metamorphosis. Not death. She's being kept."

"Kept. Why?"

"You need to study war, punk. Hostages. You take somebody to control somebody else."

"Nobody's controlling me."

"You never know Percy." Andrew said with a frown.

That was it for Percy's patience with the God of War's aura. "You're pretty smug, Lord Ares, for a guy who runs from Cupid statues."

Behind Ares' sunglasses, fire glowed. "We'll meet again, Percy Jackson. Next time you're in a fight, watch your back and you Naruto Uzumaki, I would not take on more that you can chew but knowing you, you will. Andrew, same goes to you."

"Of course!" smiled Naruto. Andrew just shook his head at his cousin.

Ares revved his Harley, then roared off down Delancy Street. Annabeth said, "That was not smart, Percy."

"I don't care."

"You don't want a god as your enemy. Especially not that god." Warned Annabeth.

"Hey, guys," Grover said. "I hate to interrupt, but ..." He pointed toward the diner. At the register, the last two customers were paying their check, two men in identical black coveralls, with a white logo on their backs that matched the one on the KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL truck. "If we're taking the zoo express," Grover said, "we need to hurry."

"I'll say." Naruto said as both he and Andrew leisurely made their way to the transport while the others ran.

Annabeth, asked, "What is that smell!" while holding her nose.

"Well that is what we get for riding with animals." Naruto deadpanned while jutting his thumb behind him to the animals.

The trailer was dark inside until Percy uncapped Anaklusmos. The blade cast a faint bronze light over a very sad scene. Sitting in a row of filthy metal cages were three of the most pathetic zoo animals the group had ever beheld: a zebra, a male albino lion, and some weird antelope thing I didn't know the name for.

Someone had thrown the lion a sack of turnips, which he obviously didn't want to eat. The zebra and the antelope had each gotten a Styrofoam tray of hamburger meat. The zebra's mane was matted with chewing gum, like somebody had been spitting on it in their spare time. The antelope had a stupid silver birthday balloon tied to one of his horns that read OVER THE HILL!

Apparently, nobody had wanted to get close enough to the lion to mess with him, but the poor thing was pacing around on soiled blankets, in a space way too small for him, panting from the stuffy heat of the trailer. He had flies buzzing around his pink eyes and his ribs showed through his white fur.

"This is kindness?" Grover yelled. "Humane zoo transport?"

"No." said Andrew in a serious voice. "These are obviously unique animals and judging by the crappy condition we are currently in….this could possibly be a black market transport." Naruto growled but before any of them could do anything, the truck's engine roared to life and they began move. "Terrific." Naruto deadpanned.

"Well we should make the best of what we got." Annabeth sadly stated.

They huddled in the corner on some mildewed feed sacks, trying to ignore the smell and the heat and the flies. Grover talked to the animals in a series of goat bleats, but they just stared at him sadly. Annabeth was in favor of breaking the cages and freeing them on the spot with Naruto agreeing completely, but Percy pointed out it wouldn't do much good until the truck stopped moving, that and he was sure that Lion hungry and instead of the turnips, they were on the menu.

Percy wound up taking the turnips from the lions cage giving them to the Antelope and Zebra and gave the lion the hamburger meat.

"Let's help out with the other animals, shall we." Andrew said, getting up with a smirk. Percy smiled and nodded. "Hey Annabeth, we could use your knife right about now."

"Huh? Why?" She asked.

"Well, we need you to cut off the balloon on the antelope's horn. Me and Percy can hold it down while Grover calms it down."

"Wow, good plan." Annabeth replied with a blink and then got to work. Once the balloon and the antelope were free from each other, Annabeth tried to get the gum out of the Zebra's mane, but with the truck's bounciness on the road, they decided it was better to wait.

"Grover, can you tell the animals to please calm down and that when we leave, so are they." Naruto asked the goat man.

"Sure Naruto." Grover replied as he translated the words to the animals and then laid down on a turnip sack to rest the rest of the way. Andrew and Naruto went and sat by the albino lion's cage on opposite sides, clearly not afraid what Annabeth and Percy sat down near the bag. The blond girl then began to nibble halfheartedly on some Oreos from the bag.

Even though Andrew and Naruto weren't near their friends, they could still hear them talking about the things they can do with their ninja abilities.

"Hey," Annabeth said, "I'm sorry for freaking out back at the water park, Percy."

"That's okay."

"It's just..." She shuddered. "Spiders."

"Because of the Arachne story," Percy guessed. "She got turned into a spider for challenging your mom to a weaving contest, right?"

Annabeth nodded. "Arachne's children have been taking revenge on the children of Athena ever since. If there's a spider within a mile of me, it'll find me. I hate the creepy little things. Anyway, I owe you."

"We're a team, remember?" Percy said. "Besides, Grover did the fancy flying and Naruto was the one who caught us."

Grover turned in his sleep and said, "I was pretty amazing, wasn't I?" Naruto smirked and snickered. Andrew listened to the conversation not saying a word but smirked as well.

Both Annabeth and Percy laughed at that, neither deciding to talk about what Naruto did after he saved them.

She pulled apart an Oreo, handed Percy half. "In the Iris message ... did Luke really say nothing?" Andrew wanted to groan at that but managed to restrain himself.

Percy munched on his cookie for a bit before he answered, "Luke said you and he go way back. He also said Grover wouldn't fail this time. Nobody would turn into a pine tree."

"Man, Grover must have been lucky to find you, Luke and Thalia." Percy said.

"Yeah, but that luck turned bad….you know what happened." Annabeth said quietly.

"Sorry."

"It is ok, but it is like you said, a seven-year-old half-blood wouldn't have made it very far alone. Athena guided me toward help. Thalia was twelve. Luke was fourteen. They'd both run away from home, like me. They were happy to take me with them. They were ... amazing monster-fighters, even without training. We traveled north from Virginia without any real plans, fending off monsters for about two weeks before Grover found us."

Grover sighed as he got up, unable to sleep as he heard the conversation. "I was supposed to escort Thalia to camp," he said, sniffling. "Only Thalia. I had strict orders from Chiron: don't do anything that would slow down the rescue. We knew Hades was after her, see, but I couldn't just leave Luke and Annabeth by themselves. I thought ... I thought I could lead all three of them to safety. It was my fault the Kindly Ones caught up with us. I froze. I got scared on the way back to camp and took some wrong turns. If I'd just been a little quicker ..."

"Stop it," Annabeth said. "No one blames you."

"She sacrificed herself to save us," he said miserably, "Her death was my fault. The Council of Cloven Elders said so."

"Because you wouldn't leave two other half-bloods behind?" Percy said. "That's not fair."

"He's right." Andrew interrupted startling everyone. "An old friend once told me 'Those who disobey the rules are scum. But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum. Grover, you and Thalia did the right thing. You gave your lives to protect those you care about. That's what's important."

"Yeah, so you couldn't save everyone, so what." Naruto said, breaking his silence. "You can't save everyone."

"They're right." Annabeth said. "I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you, Grover. Neither would Luke. We don't care what the council says."

Grover kept sniffling in the dark. "It's just my luck. I'm the lamest satyr ever, and I find the four of the most powerful half-bloods of the century, Thalia, Percy, Andrew and Naruto."

"You're not lame," Annabeth insisted. "You've got more courage than any satyr I've ever met.

Name one other who would dare go to the Underworld. I bet Percy is really glad you're here right now." She kicked Percy in the shin.

"Yeah," Percy said, though he would have said that anyway without the kick. "It's not luck that you found Thalia and me, Grover. You've got the biggest heart of any satyr ever. You're a natural searcher. That's why you'll be the one who finds Pan."

"And your heart is your greatest strength." Naruto said with a smile in the darkness. "They're right you know. You are meant to do great things. Just have more confidence in yourself." Andrew said as well.

"Thanks guys." He and soon he fell asleep within a few seconds.

"How does he do that?" Percy marveled.

"I don't know," Annabeth said. "But that was really a nice thing you guys told him."

"I meant it." Percy said.

"Of course he does. It is the truth." Naruto said as he closed his eyes falling asleep as well.

Percy notice that the blond girl had been rubbing on her necklace for a long time. He just assumed that she was thinking deep strategic thoughts.

"That pine-tree bead," Percy said, breaking the silence. "Is that from your first year?"

She looked. She hadn't realized what she was doing. "Yeah," she said. "Every August, the counselors pick the most important event of the summer, and they paint it on that year's beads. I've got Thalia's pine tree, a Greek trireme on fire, a centaur in a prom dress—now that was a weird summer..."

_Do I even want to know what happen that year._ Andrew thought.

"And the college ring is your father's?"

"That's none of your—" She stopped herself. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

"You don't have to tell me." Percy said, feeling like he over stepped the boundaries.

"No ... it's okay." She took a shaky breath. "My dad sent it to me folded up in a letter, two summers ago. The ring was, like, his main keepsake from Athena. He wouldn't have gotten through his doctoral program at Harvard without her... That's a long story. Anyway, he said he wanted me to have it. He apologized for being a jerk, said he loved me and missed me. He wanted me to come home and live with him."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"Yeah, well... the problem was, I believed him. I tried to go home for that school year, but my stepmom was the same as ever. She didn't want her kids put in danger by living with a freak. Monsters attacked. We argued. Monsters attacked. We argued. I didn't even make it through winter break. I called Chiron and came right back to Camp Half-Blood."

"You think you'll ever try living with your dad again?"

"Please. I'm not into self-inflicted pain." She replied, not meeting his eyes.

"You shouldn't give up," Percy told her. "You should write him a letter or something."

"Thanks for the advice," she said coldly, "but my father's made his choice about who he wants to live with."

There were a few moments of silence before Percy spoke up again.

"So if the gods fight," I said, "will things line up the way they did with the Trojan War? Will it be Athena versus Poseidon?"

She put her head against the backpack Ares had given them, and closed her eyes. "I don't know what my mom will do. I just know I'll fight next to you."

"Why?"

"Because you're my friend, Seaweed Brain and I am sure Naruto is going to be on your side as well, no matter what! Any more stupid questions?" A few minutes later Andrew was the only one that was actually awake as he listened to the duo's conversation.

_Those two have a strange connection. But I get the feeling they'll get together in the end. _

**Percy's dream**

Percy was being forced to take a standardized test while wearing a straitjacket. He looked over at the desk next to him and saw a girl sitting there in a straitjacket as well. She was Percy's age, with unruly black punk style hair, dark eyeliner around her stormy green eyes, and freckles across her nose. Somehow he knew who she was. She was Thalia, daughter of Zeus.

Suddenly the straightjacket around him melted and he fell through the floor. The cave from his other dream was back and a voice echoed off the walls. _Percy Jackson_, it said. _Yes, the exchange went well, I see._ This voice sounded like it was talking to someone else, but he could not see anyone.

_And he suspects nothing? _it asked.

That is when a familiar voice piped up but he could not put his finger on it and it was coming from right between the two. _Nothing, my lord. They is as ignorant as the rest._

His eyes darted all around but he could no one, whoever was speaking was invisible.

_Deception upon deception, _the thing in the pit mused aloud. _Excellent._

_Truly, my lord, _said the voice next to me, _you are well-named the Crooked One. But was it really necessary? I could have brought you what I stole directly _—

_You? _the monster said in scorn. _You have already shown your limits. You would have failed me completely had I not intervened._

_But, my lord—_

_Peace, little servant. Our six months have bought us much. Zeus's anger has grown. Poseidon and has played his most desperate card. Now we shall use it against him. Shortly you shall have the reward you wish, and your revenge. As soon as both items are delivered into my hands ... but wait. He is here._

_What? The invisible servant suddenly sounded tense. You summoned him, my lord?_

_No_. The voice said, bringing it attention to Percy now, like a weight pounding down on him. _Blast his father's blood—he is too changeable, too unpredictable. No….they brought themselves hither._

_Impossible! _the servant cried.

_For a weakling such as you, perhaps, _the voice snarled. Then it's cold power turned back on

the boy. _So ... you wish to dream of your quest, young half-blood? Then I will oblige._

The scene shifted all around him again.

They were standing in a vast throne room with black marble walls and bronze floors. The empty, horrid throne was made from human bones fused together. Standing at the foot of the dais was Percy's mother, frozen in shimmering golden light, her arms outstretched. Although, she was not alone.

His eyes widened when he saw he was withering away to the bone, with grinning skeletons in Greek armor crowded around the boy, draping him with silk robes, wreathing his head with laurels that smoked with Chimera poison, burning into his scalp.

The evil voice began to laugh. _Hail, the conquering hero!_

XXXXX

Percy then woke up with a start. "The truck's stopped," Grover said, checking to see if he was awake. "We think they're coming to check on the animals."

"Hide!" Annabeth hissed. She put on her cap and disappeared while Grover dove behind the feed sacks. Naruto did a henge and turned into a sack of turnips while Andrew dragged Percy to a dark corner and had the shadows cover them.

The trailer doors creaked open. Sunlight and heat poured in.

"Man!" one of the truckers said, waving his hand in front of his ugly nose. "I wish I hauled appliances." He climbed inside and poured some water from a jug into the animals' dishes.

"You hot, big boy?" he asked the lion, then splashed the rest of the bucket right in the lion's face.

The lion roared in indignation.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the man said. From his position, Naruto could see that Grover looked murderous at these two truckers for the way they were treating the animals and he could not blame them.

The trucker threw the antelope a squashed-looking Happy Meal bag. He smirked at the zebra. "How ya doin', Stripes? Least we'll be getting rid of you this stop. You like magic shows? You're gonna love this one. They're gonna saw you in half!"

The zebra, wild-eyed with fear, looked straight at Percy's position. _Free me, Lord. Please._ Percy was too stunned to react.

There was a loud _knock, knock, knock_ on the side of the trailer.

The trucker inside with them yelled, "What do you want, Eddie?"

A voice outside—it must've been Eddie's—shouted back, "Maurice? What'd ya say?"

"What are you banging for?"

_Knock, knock, knock._

Outside, Eddie yelled, "What banging?"

Maurice rolled his eyes and went back outside, cursing at Eddie for being an idiot.

A few seconds later, Annabeth appeared next to Grover, Naruto poofed back to normal and Andrew removed the shadows.

"Heh, nice one Blondie!" Naruto smirked, figuring she was the one making the noise.

"Hey! Don't call that! You are blond too!" Annabeth countered.

"So, I know that and that is why I can say that!" Naruto smirked, making the blond girl grumble under her breath. Andrew's face then turned serious, "Seems I was right."

"You were!" Grover cried out. "We've got to free them!"

"Heh, time for a little jail break!" Naruto replied with a smile. He noticed that Percy was staring the Zebra before he slashed off the lock to its cage.

Grover held up his hands and said something to the zebra in goat talk, like a blessing.

Just as Maurice was poking his head back inside to check out the noise, the zebra leaped over him and into the street. There was yelling and screaming and cars honking. The group rushed to the doors of the trailer in time to see the zebra galloping down a wide boulevard lined with hotels and casinos and neon signs. They had just released a zebra in Las Vegas.

Maurice and Eddie ran after it, with a few policemen running after them, shouting, "Hey! You need a permit for that!"

"Now would be a good time to leave," Annabeth said.

"The other animals first," Grover said.

"Let's bring some chaos to the streets of Vegas baby!" Naruto shouted happily while both Andrew and him threw kunai at the locks, freeing the animals.

The animals burst out of their cage and ran into the streets. Some tourists screamed. Most just backed off and took pictures, probably thinking it was some kind of stunt by one of the casinos.

"Will the animals be okay?" Percy asked Grover. "I mean, the desert and all—"

"Don't worry," he said. "I placed a satyr's sanctuary on them."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning they'll reach the wild safely," he said. "They'll find water, food, shade, whatever they need until they find a safe place to live."

"Why can't you place a blessing like that on us?" Percy asked.

"It only works on wild animals."

"So it would only affect Percy," Annabeth reasoned.

"Hey!" Percy protested, while Naruto fell off the truck, laughing.

"Kidding," she said. "Come on. Let's get out of this filthy truck." After a few minutes, Naruto calmed down and they starting walking.

They walked passed the Monte Carlo, and the MGM. They passed pyramids, a pirate ship, and the Statue of Liberty, which was a smaller version of the original.

At one point they made a wrong turn since they made it into a dead end street with a building at the end of it with the banner saying: Lotus Hotel and Casino. The entrance was a huge neon flower, the petals lighting up and blinking. No one was going in or out, but the glittering chrome doors were open, spilling out air-conditioning that smelled like flowers—lotus blossom, maybe.

The doorman smiled at them. "Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"

"Love to!" Naruto and Grover said simultaneously and ran in, with Percy and the others quickly following.

"Whoa!" Grover announced. The whole lobby was a giant game room, and not that old crap you see in arcades. There was an indoor waterslide snaking around the glass elevator, which went straight up at least forty floors. There was a climbing wall on the side of one building, and an indoor bungee-jumping bridge. There were virtual-reality suits with working laser guns. And hundreds of video games, each one the size of a widescreen TV. Basically, you name it, this place had it. There were a few other kids playing, but not that many. No waiting for any of the games. There were waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food you can imagine.

"Hey!" a bellhop said. He wore a white-and-yellow Hawaiian shirt with lotus designs, shorts, and flip-flops. "Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key."

"Um, but..." Percy stammered.

"No, no," he said, laughing. "The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, loom 4001. If you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, or skeet targets for the shooting range, or whatever, just call the front desk. Here are your LotusnCash cards. They work in the restaurants and on all the games and rides."

He handed them each a green plastic credit card.

"How much is on here?" Percy asked thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" the man asked, not understanding.

"I mean, when does it run out of cash?"

The man laughed. "Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay."

"Ah who cares, just get in the elevator!" Naruto said as he pushed them in.

They took the elevator upstairs and checked out the room. It was a suite with four separate bedrooms and a bar stocked with candy, sodas, and chips. A hotline to room service. Fluffy towels and water beds with feather pillows. A big-screen television with satellite and high-speed Internet. The balcony had its own hot tub, and sure enough, there was a skeet-shooting machine and a shotgun, so you could launch clay pigeons right out over the Las Vegas skyline and plug them with your gun. The view over the Strip and the desert was amazing, but with a room like this, they probably wouldn't have any time to check it out.

"Oh, goodness," Annabeth said. "This place is ..."

"Sweet," Grover said. "Absolutely sweet."

"No, not absolutely sweet." Naruto replied with a serious face until it broke out into a wide smile, "THIS IS FREAKIN' SWEET!"

Percy smirked and tossed the bag that Ares had given him into the trash, not needing it any more. They all went to their own rooms and took a shower. When Percy got out, he saw that Naruto and Grover where pigging out on the food provided for them and Annabeth had set the TV to the National Geographic Channel with Andrew watching it with her.

"All those stations," He told her, "and you turn on National Geographic. Are you insane?"

"It's interesting."

"I feel good," Grover said. "I love this place." Without him even realizing it, the wings sprouted out of his shoes and lifted him a foot off the ground, then back down again.

"Got that right." said a dazed Naruto.

"So what now?" Annabeth asked. "Sleep?"

The boy looked at each other and smirked. They held up the green plastic cards and said, "Play time!" They said, running out of the room to do their thing.

When Percy went off to do his own thing, the others did too. Naruto was playing a first person shooter game. Grover was playing a reverse hunting game where he had to shoot rednecks. Annabeth was playing a sim game where she could build her own city and Andrew was playing a virtual reality RPG game where he was a battle mage with a sword in one hand and casting spells with the other.

However he stopped and walked around until he found himself in what looked to be a tournament for card games. Any kind of card game you could think was here. He smirked

_Awesome!_ He thought as he whipped out a red card box with a symbol of fire on it from his seal. Now Andrew is a HUGE fan of playing Magic the Gathering. He would play in tournaments on Friday nights and win most of them due to his blue/black milling deck.

As he walked over to the Magic the Gathering table he walked by another where a game of Mythomagic was being played. He saw a young boy with olive colored skin was dominating the table. He smiled and walk over to watch for a second. He noticed that the boy had shaggy and messy black hair and intense black eyes, and that the kid seemed to be having fun. He also wear all black clothes and on the chair he was sitting on was an aviator's jacket.

A girl walked up beside him. He noticed that she had black eyes and dark brown hair. She seemed to be lean, and about average height. She had olive skin like the boy at the table, a sprinkle of freckles across her nose, and wore a floppy green hat that hides most of her face, but you could still see it.

Andrew said, "He is pretty good."

"I guess so." The girl replied. "It is a pain to watch him all the time though."

He shrugged, "I guess that is what you do to keep your family safe I know the hard way."

"Yeah I guess." She said as she turned to the blond and help out a hand. "I am Bianca di Angelo by the way and the kid at the table is my brother, Nico."

"My name is Andrew Namikaze." He said, shaking her hand.

"Nice to meet you Andrew." She said with a smile.

"I get the feeling we are going to meet again so I want to give you something."

"Why would you do that, we hardly know each other." She asked, staring at him.

"I like I said before, I get the feeling we are going to meet again so I'm going to make sure of that. Hold out your wrists" Andrew said, Bianca looked up at the boy confused but complied. Andrew took out a small ink bottle from his pocket and dabbed his pointer and middle finger in it covering them in black ink.

He placed the middle finger on her right wrist. As soon as his finger touched her skin a seal design immediately formed all around her wrist. Six lines wrapped around her entire wrist starting and ending at the circle where they originated from which has 保護 in the center of it completely. The area around the kanji is surrounded by a pulsing light blue light. He then did the same with the other finger and wrist. It did the same thing but the only difference is that the kanji 代わる was in the circle.

"Whoa." was her reply.

"This seal on your right wrist will create a complete sphere around you protecting you from any form of damage only once. It' will remain active until the area is safe enough so that you can get out ok. The other seal that I will put on you will allow you to replace yourself with anything near you including things that could be behind a wall as long as it is as tall as you."

She then gave him a skeptical look. "I highly doubt that." "Oh really now. Let me show you then." He looked around until he saw a pillar. "If I can climb that pillar without my hands will you believe me?"

"Pfft no. But I'll humor you. Go ahead then." He shrugged and walked to the nearby pillar. He placed his right foot on it ready to go.

Bianca was watching him the entire time. _There's no way in hell he'll be able to do it. He's going to fall down as soon as he lifts his other fo... _She was broken out of her thoughts as she watched Andrew walk vertically up the pillar. Her eyes threatened to pop out of her skull when he started to walk on the ceiling.

She rubbed her eyes thinking she was seeing things but he was still on the ceiling staring down at her. She then started to pinch an slap herself thinking that she was dreaming but he still stood there. He then hopped down and landed two feet in front of her.

"Do you believe me now?" She nodded dumbly. He then smiled. "Good. Now you see that chair two tables away from us right?" He said as he pointed to a chair to their right. She nodded. "Alright. All you have to do is concentrate on the object you want to switch with and touch the seal on your wrist. I don't have to touch the seal since I already know how to do it. Watch me and I'll show you."

She watched him roll up his right sleeve revealing the same mark. He closed his eyes then touched the seal. In a instant he was gone and a chair stood in his place. Bianca was gaping like a fish as she watched the chair vanish and Andrew reappear in front of her. "That's how it's done. Now take this."

He threw a red rubber ball from waterland to her which she caught in surprise. "I want you to throw that at me. This is a demonstration but it will last longer and will act under different circumstances. The shield will activate when the ball gets within a 3 ft radius from me so go ahead."

She shrugged and threw it. Like he said the shield activated as soon as it got 3 feet from him."Wow. That's amazing how.." Andrew's eyes narrowed as the shield wore off. "I have to go. I'll see you some other time Bianca."

"Oh ok. Bye." She waved to him as he made his way back to the others. He found Percy trying to get Annabeth away from her Sim game. "Come on," Percy told her. "We've got to get out of here."

There was no response, so Percy shook her.

"What?" She replied, looking annoyed.

"We need to get out of here!"

"Leave? What are you talking about? I've just got the towers—" She said.

"This place is a trap." Percy replied franticly, but she just ignored him as she went on with her game.

"Maybe this will help." Andrew said from behind, shocking the hell out of Percy. Andrew made the tora seal and called, "Kai!"

A strange glow surround Annabeth before she blinked and looked up. "What, what is going on?"

"This place is a trap, we need to go!" Andrew replied. Annabeth's eyes widened and she shot off with the two boys to find Naruto and Grover.

"Hey, Andrew, what did you do back there?" Percy asked.

"Added chakra to Annabeth to disrupt the illusion placed around her. Seemed that it worked this place lays on illusion on you."

"So you figured that out to!" Percy asked.

"Yeah I created a sphere of my chakra earlier and it dispelled the genjutsu on me."

"Oh gods, how long have we been here?" asked Annabeth.

"To be honest, I would rather not know. You guys find Grover while I find Naruto" Andrew replied as he ran in another direction.

When they found Grover he was still playing Virtual Deer Hunter.

"Grover!" they shouted.

He said, "Die, human! Die, silly polluting nasty person!"

"Grover!" Percy shouted again, only for the goat man to point the plastic gun on him and start clicking.

Annabeth and Percy looked at each other and grabbed Grover by the arms, dragging him away from the game. "No! I just got to a new level! No!" he yelled franticly.

The Lotus bellhop hurried up to them, "Well, now, are you ready for your platinum cards?"

"Sorry, but we need to go." Percy replied.

"Such a shame," he said, and he got the feeling that he really meant it, that they would be breaking his heart if they went. "We just added an entire new floor full of games for platinum-card members." He held out the card and Naruto saw that Percy was staring at it longingly, he could tell that the sea boy really wanted it.

Grover tried reaching for it, but Annabeth yanked him away and said, "No thanks!" and they walked out the front door, but the smell of the food and the roar of the games made it all more inviting, like it was trying to pull them back in.

The pack that Ares had given Percy was back on his should and Grover blinked a few times, regaining his bearings. Percy ran over to the newspaper stand to check the date, the others looking over his shoulder. It was the same year thankfully, but not the same day. They had been in the Casino for 5 days and there was only one day left until the summer solstice and for the quest to be over.

Andrew ran out of the hotel while dragging Naruto who had blood coming out of his nose with a lecherous grin on his face.

Grover looked at Naruto then Andrew "What happened to him?" Andrew shook his head but his face was extremely red. "You don't want to know."


	17. Entering LA

**I decided that I'm just going to add the rest of the chapters despite what I said in the last chapter. I just want to finish this and continue on with the series. I plan to write an altered version of TTC, BOTL and TLO. No SOM since nothing exciting happens in it. So enjoy the new chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to add the rest today if I'm not too busy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. They belong to Kishimoto and Rick Riordan.**

It was Annabeth's idea. She loaded the group into the back of a Vegas taxi as if they actually had money, and told the driver, "Los Angeles, please."

The cabbie chewed his cigar and sized them up. "That's three hundred miles. For that, you gotta pay up front."

"You accept casino debit cards?" Annabeth asked.

He shrugged. "Some of 'em. Same as credit cards. I gotta swipe 'em through first."

Annabeth handed him her green Lotus Cash card. He looked at it skeptically. "Swipe it," Annabeth invited.

He did. His meter machine started rattling. The lights flashed. Finally an infinity symbol came up next to the dollar sign.

"Whoa." Naruto said, "Heh, good thing I kept mine."

The cigar fell out of the driver's mouth. He looked back at us, his eyes wide. "Where to in Los Angeles... uh, Your Highness?"

"The Santa Monica Pier." Annabeth sat up a little straighter. Percy could tell that Annabeth was enjoying the "Your Highness" thing a lot. "Get us there fast, and you can keep the change." However, maybe she should not have told the man that, because his speedometer never dipped below 95 the whole way through the Mojave Desert.

On the way there, Percy begun to tell them about his recent dream. All that they could remember is that that it ended in One.

"The Silent One?" Annabeth suggested. "The Rich One? Both of those are nicknames for Hades."

"Maybe." Percy said but he felt that the name was wrong.

"That throne room sounds like Hades'," Grover said. "That's the way it's usually described."

"Something's wrong. The throne room wasn't the main part of the dream. And that voice from the pit ... I don't know. It just didn't feel like a god's voice." said Percy.

Annabeth eyes widened while Naruto shrugged. "Like I said before. It's probably your gramps."

"No, it _has_ to be Hades." Annabeth demanded, "Maybe he sent this thief, this invisible person, to get the master bolt, and something went wrong—"

"I hope you are right." Percy replied.

"I understand that, but if he stole Zeus's symbol of power from Olympus, and the gods were hunting him, I mean, a lot of things could go wrong. So this thief had to hide the bolt, or he lost it somehow. Anyway, he failed to bring it to Hades. That's what the voice said in your dreams, right? The guy failed. That would explain what the Furies were searching for when they came after us on the bus. Maybe they thought we had retrieved the bolt." Andrew explained.

"But if we would have already retrieved the bolt," Percy said, "why would we be traveling to the Underworld?"

"Good question." Andrew replied, "that is something the three old ladies should have taken to heart….or their afraid of something."

"To threaten Hades," Grover suggested. "To bribe or blackmail him into getting your mom back."

"You have evil thoughts for a goat." Percy deadpanned.

"Why, thank you."

"Are we rubbing off on ya?" Naruto commented with a smirk and one eye open.

"I don't know." Grover shrugged.

"The thing in the pit also said it was waiting for two items," Percy said. "If the master bolt is one, what's the other?" Grover and Naruto looked at each other, then at Percy and shrugged.

"You have an idea what might be in that pit, don't you?" Percy asked Annabeth, but for some reason, he could tell she did not want him ask it. "I mean, if it isn't Hades?"

"Percy ... let's not talk about it. Because if it isn't Hades ... No. It has to be Hades." She replied.

Wasteland rolled by as well as a sign that said CALIFORNIA STATE LINE, 12 MILES. Along the way, Percy stared out the window thinking about the quest while Andrew had his eyes shut tight, trying to make sense of this quest.

"The answer is in the Underworld," Annabeth assured them. "You two saw spirits of the dead. There's only one place that could be. We're doing the right thing."

She tried to boost the morale by suggesting clever strategies for getting into the Land of the Dead, but Percy seemed disheartened by it. There were just too many unknown factors. It was like cramming for a test without knowing the subject.

The cab sped west. Every gust of wind through Death Valley sounded like a spirit of the dead. Every time the brakes hissed on an eighteen-wheeler, it reminded the boys of Echidna's reptilian voice.

At sunset, the taxi dropped us at the beach in Santa Monica. It looked exactly the way L.A. beaches do in the movies, only it smelled worse. There were carnival rides lining the Pier, palm trees lining the sidewalks, homeless guys sleeping in the sand dunes, and surfer dudes waiting for the perfect wave.

As they walked down to the edge of the surf, Annabeth asked, "What now?"

"Yeah, I got no clue." Naruto deadpanned. Andrew walked closer to the water. "Come on Percy she said she wanted to talk to both of us." Percy walked up with him and they both then walked in the water.

"Guys?" Annabeth said. "What are you doing?" They were neck deep when the she called out again. "You know how polluted that water is? There're all kinds of toxic—" though they just ignored her and went under.

"Gee Annabeth, afraid for his health in his own element?" Naruto asked with a smirk.

"Oh! Shut it!" She replied with a red face.

When Andrew completely submerged he transformed back into the water wyvern while Percy swam through. A five foot mako shark nuzzling him. Percy grabbed a hold on its dorsal fin with both hands and it took off with Andrew swimming along right behind them.

The shark carried Percy down into the darkness and deposited him at the edge of the ocean proper, where the sand bank dropped off into a huge chasm. Andrew was floating along next to him.

Something glittered in the darkness below them. It grew bigger and got brighter as it rose towards the two. A woman's voice called: "Percy Jackson, Andrew Namikaze."

As she got closer, her shape became clearer. She had flowing black hair, a dress made of green silk. Light flickered around her and she was riding a stallion sized sea horse.

She dismounted and the Mako shark and sea horse left. She smiled "You have come far boys. Well done."

"You're the woman who spoke to us in the Mississippi River."

"Yes child. I am a Nereid, a spirit of the sea. It wasn't easy to appear so far upriver but the naiads helped sustain my life force. They honor Lord Poseidon but don't serve in his court."

"Why isn't my father here? Why doesn't he speak to me?" A cold current rose out of the depths.

"Don't judge the Lord of the Sea too harshly. He stands at the brink of an unwanted war. He has much to occupy his time. Besides, he is forbidden to help you directly. The gods may not show such favoritism."

"Even their own children?"

"Especially them. The gods can only work indirectly. That is why I am giving you two a warning and a gift." She held out her hand. Four white pearls flashed in her palm.

"I know you journey to Hades' realm. Few mortals have ever done this and survived." She handed Percy the Pearls. "The Oracles have foretold a great and terrible future for you, should you survive to your manhood. Poseidon would not have you die before your time. Therefore, when you are in need, smash a pearl at your feet."

Percy shrugged and nodded. "Good. You may return to the surface. I need to talk to Andrew alone now."

He nodded and swam to the surface. Percy emerged from the water, already dry.

"What's up water boy?"

Percy tripped a bit at that before he told them about the Nereid and her words and gifts. He even showed them the four pearls. Annabeth grimaced. "No gift comes without a price."

"They were free."

"No." She shook her head. "'There is no such thing as a free lunch.' That's an ancient Greek saying that translated pretty well into American. There will be a price. You wait."

At that moment Andrew walked out of the water dry as well. "What did she talk to you about?" Andrew had a lost look on his face and didn't hear Percy. When he asked again he replied "Not much."

On that happy note, the turned their backs to the sea as made their way to another Cab. They showed the address that Percy got from Aunty Em's place but the driver had never heard of the place called, DOA Recording Studios.

While looked from his rear view mirror, the driver asked Percy "Hey, you remind me of somebody I saw on TV, you a child actor or something?"

Naruto gained an 'Oh shit' smile while Percy made a good cover up. "Uh ... I'm a stunt double ... for a lot of child actors."

"Oh! That explains it." The driver said, while Naruto breathed a sigh of relief.

"I think it is best we get off here." Annabeth stated as they pulled to a stop at a stop light.

They wandered for miles on foot, looking for DOA. Nobody seemed to know where it was. It didn't appear in the phone book. Along the way, they had to duck in the allies so the Cops wouldn't find them. Besides, with their rep right now, they could not afford to get caught with their quest just about over.

As they walked, Naruto noticed that Percy had froze in front of an appliance store. He stopped to when he saw it. Curious, Annabeth and Grover back tracked to watch as well. A television was playing an interview with somebody who looked very familiar—Percy's stepdad, Smelly Gabe. He was talking to Barbara Walters, as if he were some kind of huge celebrity. She was interviewing him in his apartment, in the middle of a poker game, and there was a young blond lady sitting next to him, patting his hand. A fake tear glistened on his cheek. He was saying, "Honest, Ms. Walters, if it wasn't for Sugar here, my grief counselor, I'd be a wreck. My stepson took everything I cared about. My wife ... my Camaro ... I—I'm sorry. I have trouble talking about it."

"There you have it, America." Barbara Walters turned to the camera. "A man torn apart. An adolescent boy with serious issues. Let me show you, again, the last known photo of this troubled young fugitive, taken a week ago in Denver." The screen cut to a grimy photo of the five of them, standing outside the Colorado diner, talking to Ares.

"Who are the other children in this photo?" Barbara Walters asked dramatically. "Who is the man with them? Is Percy Jackson a delinquent, a terrorist, or perhaps the brainwashed victim of a frightening new cult? When we come back, we chat with a leading child psychologist. Stay tuned, America."

"Oh you have got to be kidding me!" Growl out Naruto with a twitching eyebrow. "When we get back, Gabe is so getting it!"

"Come on." Grover said as he pulled a fuming Naruto and a shell shocked Percy away from the TV.

"I can't believe Gabe! That guy was an ass before but this just takes the cake!" Naruto ranted.

"You got that right!" Andrew said, shaking in rage.

It got dark, and hungry-looking characters started coming out on the streets to play. Now normally they wouldn't have to worry because Percy was a New Yorker. Of course, L.A. had a totally different feel from New York.

In New York, the street patterns and the subway made sense. There was a system to how things worked. A kid could be safe as long as he wasn't stupid. But is L.A., it was a chaotic mess and everything was spread out. It wasn't enough for L.A. to be big; it had to prove it was big by being loud and strange and difficult to navigate, too.

They walked past gangbangers, bums, and street hawkers, who looked at them like they were trying to figure if the five of them were worth the trouble of mugging.

"Hey, you." They stopped but they should not have because a group of thug looking kids appeared from the ally and surrounded them. There were ten of them in all— white kids with expensive clothes and mean faces. Like the kids at Yancy Academy: rich brats playing at being bad boys.

Without thinking much about it, Percy brought out riptide. The sword appearing out of nowhere, made a lot of the group back off, but the leader, being stupid or brave…not that it mattered, walked up to them with a switch blade ready.

Naruto widened his eyes when Percy swung his sword, but was shocked that it just passed through the kid. Said kid flinched instinctively before he figured out what happened. In that time, Percy finally got smart and yelled for his friends to run.

Grover and Annabeth pushed two of the kids away before they got to Percy. Naruto high kicked them in the face and Andrew whipped out the kunai giving the kids some cuts but nothing more, allowing some more time for Percy to get away.

Having recovered, the leader threw his knife at Naruto, however, the blond haired ninja caught between two fingers before he threw it back. The leader of was caught off guard as it plunged into his right arm. Grimacing in pain, the kid took out a gun and fired, making Percy, Annabeth, and Grover to look back in horror. However, that turned to shock at what they saw. Andrew got in front of him and pulled out a kunai as time seemed to slow down for him. He channeled chakra into the kunai and swung downward, slicing the bullet in half and colliding with the two idiots that tried to sneak up on him. The fragments hit them in their shoulders, send them back on their asses.

When Naruto turned to flee, the leader yelled, "Argh! Get them!" while pulling out the switch blade as the remaining thugs blocked Naruto's way. Thinking quickly, Andrew and Naruto ran to the sides of the alley, running along the wall as they got out of reach before they flipped off just before the switch blade hit the place Naruto was at. He landed next to the other three in his group. He stared at their gawking faces for about two seconds before stating, "Don't just stand there! Run!"

They quickly followed the blond before Annabeth spotted a store that was open. "There!"

They only open store on the block looked open, its windows glaring with neon. The sign above the door said something like CRSTUY'S WATRE BDE ALPACE.

"Crusty's Water Bed Palace?" Grover translated.

They burst through the doors, ran behind a water bed, and ducked. A split second later, the gang kids ran past outside.

"I think we lost them," Grover panted.

A voice behind them boomed, "Lost who?" making then jump six feet into the air.

Standing behind them was a guy who looked like a raptor in a leisure suit. He was at least seven feet tall, with absolutely no hair. He had gray, leathery skin, thick-lidded eyes, and a cold, reptilian smile. He moved toward them slowly, and it was kind of scary.

His suit might've come from the Lotus Casino. It belonged back in the seventies, big-time. The shirt was silk paisley, unbuttoned halfway down his hairless chest. The lapels on his velvet jacket were as wide as landing strips. The silver chains around his neck…where just too many to count.

"I'm Crusty," he said, with a tartar-yellow smile.

"Sorry to barge in," Percy told him. "We were just, um, browsing."

"You mean hiding from those no-good kids," he grumbled. "They hang around every night. I get a lot of people in here, thanks to them. Say, you want to look at a water bed?" They were about to say no but he put a giant paw on Percy's shoulder, guiding him around. So, others followed, grumbling under their breath. There was every kind of water bed you could imagine: different kinds of wood, different patterns of sheets; queen-size, king-size, emperor-of-the-universe-size.

"This is my most popular model." Crusty spread his hands proudly over a bed covered with black satin sheets, with built-in Lava Lamps on the headboard. The mattress vibrated, so it looked like oil-flavored Jell-O. "Million-hand massage," Crusty told them. "Go on, try it out. Shoot, take a nap. I don't care. No business today, any-way."

"Um," Percy said, "I don't think ..."

"Million-hand massage!" Grover cried, and dove in. "Oh, you guys! This is cool."

"Hmm," Crusty said, stroking his leathery chin. "Almost, almost."

"Almost what?" Percy asked.

He looked at Annabeth. "Do me a favor and try this one over here, honey. Might fit."

He patted her reassuringly on the shoulder and led her over to the Safari Deluxe model with teakwood lions carved into the frame and a leopard-patterned comforter. When Annabeth didn't want to lie down, Crusty pushed her.

"Hey!" She protested.

By now, Naruto and Andrew had already made their way onto a bed. _"Something about this doesn't sit right._ He thought. _Stores don't usually let people do this…even if there was no business. _Andrew thought. That is when he shot up in the bed, realizing what this place was, but it was already too late.

Crusty snapped his fingers. "_Ergo_!" Ropes sprang from the sides of the bed, lashing around Annabeth, holding her to the mattress. Grover tried to get up, but ropes sprang from his black-satin bed, too, and lashed him down. The ropes quickly swung around Naruto and Andrew as well, bringing them back down on the bed.

"N-not c-c-cool!" Grover yelled, his voice vibrating from the million-hand massage. "N-not c-cool a-at all!"

"Ah shit, I realized it too late!" Andrew grimaced as he grabbed the ropes, trying to keep them from pull at him but failed and was being stretched.

The giant looked at Annabeth, then turned toward Percy and grinned. "Almost, darn it."

Percy tried to step away, but the man's hand shot out and clamped around the back of his neck. "Whoa, kid. Don't worry. We'll find you one in a sec."

"Let my friends go."

"Oh, sure I will. But I got to make them fit, first."

"What do you mean?"

"All the beds are exactly six feet, see? Your friends are too short. Got to make them fit." Percy turned in horror, seeing his friends struggle in pain.

"Can't stand imperfect measurements," Crusty muttered. "Ergo!" A new set of ropes leaped out from the top and bottom of the beds, wrapping around Grover, Naruto and Annabeth's ankles, then around their armpits. The ropes started tightening, pulling them from both ends. Though Naruto was doing a pretty good job at resisting. Andrew on the other hand was actually calm and not being stretched much as he actually fit on the bed.

"Don't worry," Crusty told Percy, "These are stretching jobs. Maybe three extra inches on their spines. They might even live. Now why don't we find a bed you like, huh?"

"Percy!" Grover yelled.

"ARGH! I am so going to rip you to shreds when I get out of this!" Naruto angrily spat out. Percy noticed that his friend was also give him the 'use your brain' look.

"**Let me go now!**" Andrew demanded as fire literally spewed out of his mouth with each word surprising them all except Percy.

Crusty just snapped his fingers and rope wrapped around his mouth and the tension in the ropes tightened. He was about to turn around to face Percy but fire came out of Andrew's mouth burning through the rope around his mouth. He walked up to the now fire breathing boy and punched him in the face knocking him out.

Looking back at Crusty, Percy asked, "Your real name's not Crusty, is it?"

"Legally, it's Procrustes," he admitted.

"The Stretcher," Percy said, remembering the story: the giant who'd tried to kill Theseus with excess hospitality on his way to Athens. Not good!

"Yeah," the salesman said. "But who can pronounce Procrustes? Bad for business. Now 'Crusty,' anybody can say that."

"You're right. It's got a good ring to it." Percy replied, getting an idea.

Crusty's eyes lit up. "You think so?"

"Oh, absolutely," Percy said. "And the workmanship on these beds? Fabulous!"

He grinned hugely, but his fingers didn't loosen on Percy's neck just yet. "I tell my customers that. Every time. Nobody bothers to look at the workmanship. How many built-in Lava Lamp headboards have you seen?"

"Not too many."

"That's right!"

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled. "What are you doing?"

"Don't mind her," Percy told Procrustes. "She's impossible."

The giant laughed. "All my customers are. Never six feet exactly. So inconsiderate. And then they complain about the fitting."

"What do you do if they're longer than six feet?" Percy asked with fake curiosity.

"Oh, that happens all the time. It's a simple fix." He let go of Percy neck, but before the water boy could react, he reached behind a nearby sales desk and brought out a huge double-bladed brass axe. He said, "I just center the subject as best I can and lop off whatever hangs over on either end."

"OH YOU HAVE TO BE SHITTING ME!" Naruto yelled.

"Please don't mind my blond friend." Percy nervously said, trying to save his friend's hide. He gulped and looked at the axe. "That does seem sensible.

"I'm so glad to come across an intelligent customer!" The sales giant proclaimed.

Percy chanced a glanced a look at his friends. Those ropes were really taking a toll on them. Annabeth looked pale, Grover was making gurgling sounds; like a strangled goose, and Naruto had a very red face, the strain seemed to pissing him off or it was just from stress.

"So, Crusty ..." Percy said as he turned back to the giant man, trying to keep his voice light. He glanced at the sales tag on the valentine-shaped Honeymoon Special. "Does this one really have dynamic stabilizers to stop wave motion?"

"Absolutely. Try it out."

"Yeah, maybe I will. But would it work even for a big guy like you? No waves at all?"

"Guaranteed."

"No way."

"Way."

"Show me." Percy said as he folded his arm with a skeptical expression.

Crusty sat down eagerly on the bed, patted the mattress. "No waves. See?"

Percy smirked as he snapped his fingers. "_Ergo_."

Ropes lashed around Crusty and flattened him against the mattress. "Hey!" he yelled.

"Center him just right," Percy commanded of the ropes and surprisingly they did. Crusty's whole head stuck out the top. His feet stuck out the bottom.

"No!" he said in a panicked state, realizing he had just been duped. "Wait! This is just a demo."

"A few simple adjustments ..." Percy as he uncapped Riptide, ready to lop off Crusty's head.

"You drive a hard bargain," Crusty tried to bargain. "I'll give you thirty percent off on selected floor models."

"I think I'll start with the top." Percy raised his sword.

"No money down! No interest for six months!"

"OH JUST LOP HIS FUCKING HEAD OFF ALREADY!" shouted Naruto from his position. Percy did so and watched at the man turned to gold dust like all the other monster they had seen did. The water boy quickly cut the ropes off of everyone and there was a lot cursing and groaning after he did that.

"You look taller," Percy said, looking at them.

"Very funny," Annabeth said. "Be faster next time."

"A hell of a lot faster next time." Naruto grumbled as he rubbed his arms. "I'll grab Andrew since he's out for the count."

Percy looked at the bulletin board behind Crusty's sales desk, ignoring their complaining at the moment. There was an advertisement for Hermes Delivery Service, and another for the All-New Compendium of L.A. Area Monsters— "The only Monstrous Yellow Pages you'll ever need!" Under that, a bright orange flier for DOA Recording Studios, offering commissions for heroes' souls. "We are always looking for new talent!" DOA's address was right underneath with a map.

"Come on," Percy said as he walked to the door, with Grover and Naruto helping Andrew as they were ready to get the hell of the store.

"Give us a minute," Grover complained. "We were almost stretched to death. Not to mention Andrew's out cold. "

Percy stopped. "Fine." Within the next ten minutes Andrew finally woke up holding his head. "Ugh, my head feels like it's being pounded by hundreds of hammers.

"Then you're ready for the Underworld," Percy said. "It's only a block from here."

"Oh joy." Naruto replied sarcastically.


	18. Entering the Underworld

They stood in the shadows of Valencia Boulevard, looking up at gold letters etched in black marble: DOA RECORDING STUDIOS. Underneath, stenciled on the glass doors: NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING.

It was almost midnight, but the lobby was brightly lit and full of people. Behind the security desk sat a tough-looking guard with sunglasses and an earpiece. Percy turned to the others and stated, "Okay. You remember the plan."

"The plan," Grover gulped. "Yeah. I love the plan."

Annabeth said, "What happens if the plan doesn't work?"

"Don't think negative."

"Right," she said. "We're entering the Land of the Dead, and I shouldn't think negative."

"That's the spirit!" Naruto joked. "Guys let me do the talking." Andrew said which everyone agreed to.

"I guess we will be alright." She said, nudging Grover.

"Oh, right!" he chimed in. "We got this far. We'll find the master bolt and save your mom. No problem."

Percy looked to his friends and smiled, "Thanks guys." He felt eternally grateful to them. "Let's whup some Underworld butt."

"YEAH!" Naruto pumped his fist into the air, before they enter the DOA lobby.

Muzak played softly on hidden speakers. The carpet and walls were steel gray. Pencil cactuses grew in the corners like skeleton hands. The furniture was black leather, and every seat was taken. There were people sitting on couches, people standing up, people staring out the windows or waiting for the elevator. Nobody moved, or talked, or did much of anything. If you looked at the directly, you would see that they were transparent!

The security guard's desk was a raised podium, so they had to look up at him.

He was tall and elegant, with chocolate-colored skin and bleached-blond hair shaved military style. He wore tortoiseshell shades and a silk Italian suit that matched his hair. A black rose was pinned to his lapel under a silver name tag.

Percy eyed the name tag in bewilderment and before Andrew could stop him, he spoke. "Your name is Chiron?"

He leaned across the desk. Percy couldn't see anything in his glasses except his own reflection, but his smile was sweet and cold, like a pythons, right before it eats you.

"What a precious young lad." He had a strange accent—British, maybe, but also as if he had learned English as a second language. "Tell me, mate, do I look like a centaur?"

"N-no."

"Sir," he added smoothly.

"Sir," Percy said.

He pinched the name tag and ran his finger under the letters. "Can you read this, mate? It says C-H-A-R-O-N. Say it with me: CARE-ON."

"Charon."

"Amazing! Now: Mr. Charon."

"Mr. Charon," Percy repeated.

"Well done." He sat back. "I hate being confused with that old horse-man. And now, how may I help you little dead ones?"

"We want to go the Underworld," Andrew stated after glaring at Percy.

Charon's mouth twitched. "Well, that's refreshing."

"It is?" he asked.

"Straightforward and honest. No screaming. No 'There must be a mistake, Mr. Charon.'" He looked them over. "How did you die, then?"

"We met Procrustes and he sorta...well lopped my head when I didn't fit on the bed and the others were stretched to the point where their bodies couldn't take it anymore."

"Ouch" he said as he flinched. "Demigods then?" Charon asked. They nodded.

"Yeah. We were on a quest but we ran into the asshole and now were here." Charon looked mildly impressed. "I don't suppose you have coins for passage. Normally, with adults, you see, I could charge your American Express, or add the ferry price to your last cable bill. But with children ... alas, you never die prepared. Suppose you'll have to take a seat for a few centuries."

"We had drachmas on us before we died." Andrew interjected as put down some gold drachmas on the deck that they had 'received' from Crusty.

"Well, now ..." Charon moistened his lips. "Real drachmas. Real golden drachmas. I haven't seen these in years." His fingers hovered greedily over the coins and took them.

"The boat's almost full, anyway. I might as well add you five and be off. Come on!" The ferry man said as he opened the doors.

They pushed through the crowd of waiting spirits, who started grabbing at our clothes like the wind, their voices whispering things the four couldn't make out. Charon shoved them out of the way, grumbling, "Freeloaders."

He escorted them into the elevator, which was already crowded with souls of the dead, each one holding a green boarding pass. Charon grabbed two spirits who were trying to get on with the group and pushed them back into the lobby.

"Right. Now, no one get any ideas while I'm gone," he announced to the waiting room. "And if anyone moves the dial off my easy-listening station again, I'll make sure you're here for another thousand years. Understand?" He shut the doors. He put a key card into a slot in the elevator panel and they started to descend.

"What happens to the spirits waiting in the lobby?" Annabeth asked.

"Nothing," Charon said.

"For how long?"

"Forever, or until I'm feeling generous."

"Oh," she said. "That's ... fair."

"Depends on what you call fair." Naruto grumbled under his breath.

Charon raised an eyebrow. "Whoever said death was fair, young miss? "

After that, the elevator stopped going down and that made their stomach's roll a bit as they instead moved forward. Then the spirit's modern clothes turned to that of gray hooded robes. Naruto gained a bored look after that as he saw Charon change form as well.

Charon's creamy Italian suit had been replaced by a long black robe. His tortoiseshell glasses were gone. Where his eyes should've been were empty sockets—like Ares' eyes, except Charon's were totally dark, full of night and death and despair.

The man noticed Percy staring, "Well?"

"Nothing." Percy managed to say before he noticed the elevator was not a boat of sorts. Which did explain the swaying.

"I think I am getting seasick." Grover complained.

"And in the middle of the River Styx too." smirked Naruto as Grover paled a bit. The River Styx was a bit different than any of them expected. It was a dark, oily river, swirling with bones, dead fish, and other, stranger things—plastic dolls, crushed carnations, soggy diplomas with gilt edges.

"The River Styx," Annabeth murmured. "It's so ..."

"Polluted," Charon said. "For thousands of years, you humans have been throwing in everything as you come across—hopes, dreams, wishes that never came true. Irresponsible waste management, if you ask me."

Mist curled off the filthy water. Above them, almost lost in the gloom, was a ceiling of stalactites. Ahead, the far shore glimmered with greenish light, the color of poison.

Andrew noticed that Percy's eyes widened in a moment of pure panic but couldn't tell what the boy was thinking. He, however, smiled when a nervous Annabeth grabbed the water boy's hand and that seemed to calm the two of them down. He looked to Grover and noticed the goat boy was silently freaking out. He sighed at that and put in his headphones and listened to his IPod. The irony of it was that he was listening to one of his favorite songs. This is Halloween from Nightmare Before Christmas.

By the time they had reached the shoreline, Grover looked he was about to pass out from fear while Percy and Annabeth looked very pale and scared. Naruto was calmly walking out of the boat as with no care in the world.

Looking around as they got to land, they saw craggy rocks and black volcanic sand stretched inland about a hundred yards to the base of a high stone wall, which marched off in either direction as far as we could see. A sound came from somewhere nearby in the green gloom, echoing off the stones—the howl of a large animal.

"Old Three-Face is hungry," Charon said.

The bottom of our boat slid onto the black sand. The dead began to disembark. A woman holding a little girl's hand. An old man and an old woman hobbling along arm in arm. A boy no older than Percy was, shuffling silently along in his gray robe.

Charon said, "I'd wish you luck, mates, but there isn't any down here." He counted the golden coins into his pouch, then took up his pole. He warbled something that sounded like a Barry Manilow song as he ferried the empty barge back across the river.

As they tracked along the beaten path with the other dead people, they wondered what was in store for them. They wonder what the true entrance would be like. The Pearly Gates or a big black portcullis, or something like that. But the entrance to the Underworld looked like a cross between airport security and the Jersey Turnpike.

There were three separate entrances under one huge black archway that said YOU ARE NOW ENTERING EREBUS. Each entrance had a pass-through metal detector with security cameras mounted on top. Beyond this were tollbooths manned by black-robed ghouls like Charon.

The howling of the hungry animal was really loud now, but they couldn't see where it was coming from. The three-headed dog, Cerberus, who was supposed to guard Hades' door, was nowhere to be seen.

The dead queued up in the three lines, two marked ATTENDANT ON DUTY, and one marked EZ DEATH. The EZ DEATH line was moving right along. The other two were crawling.

"Wow, even in death people want to take the easy and quick way." Naruto commented, a bit surprised.

"Right." Percy replied before asking Annabeth, "so which kiosk do you think?"

"The fast line must go straight to the Asphodel Fields," she said. "No contest. They don't want to risk judgment from the court, because it might go against them."

"There's a court for dead people?" asked a surprised Percy.

"Yeah. Three judges. They switch around who sits on the bench. King Minos, Thomas Jefferson, Shakespeare—people like that. Sometimes they look at a life and decide that person needs a special reward—the Fields of Elysium. Sometimes they decide on punishment. But most people, well, they just lived. Nothing special, good or bad. So they go to the Asphodel Fields."

"And do what?"

Grover said, "Imagine standing in a wheat field in Kansas. Forever."

"Harsh," Percy said.

"But not as harsh as that," Grover muttered. "Look."

A couple of black-robed ghouls had pulled aside one spirit and were frisking him at the security desk. The face of the dead man looked vaguely familiar.

"He's that preacher who made the news, remember?" Grover asked.

"Oh, yeah." Percy did remember now. They had seen him on TV a couple of times at the Yancy Academy dorm. He was this annoying televangelist from upstate New York who'd raised millions of dollars for orphanages and then got caught spending the money on stuff for his mansion, like gold-plated toilet seats, and an indoor putt-putt golf course. He'd died in a police chase when his "Lamborghini for the Lord" went off a cliff.

Naruto glared at the spirit. "Greedy Bastard."

"What're they doing to him?" Percy asked.

"Special punishment from Hades," Grover guessed. "The really bad people get his personal attention as soon as they arrive. The Fur—the Kindly Ones will set up an eternal torture for him."

Percy shivered a bit and then sweatdropped when Naruto started sweating and muttering. "No more tests." over and over again. They all ignored him.

"Riiight." Percy comment. "But if the guy was a preacher, and he believes in a different hell..."

Grover shrugged. "Who says he's seeing this place the way we're seeing it? Humans see what they want to see. You're very stubborn—er, persistent, that way."

As they made their way closer the kiosks, the howling kept getting louder and louder. The howling was so loud now it shook the ground but they could not figure out where it was coming from.

Then, about fifty feet in front of them, the green mist shimmered. Standing just where the path split into three lanes was an enormous shadowy monster.

They could not see it at first because of the transparency, but it had moved and that brought out what it looked like.

By that time however, their jaws where on the floor. "He's a Rottweiler."

"Heh, I guess Hades has a good taste in guard dogs then." Naruto smirked after he recovered. The dog was obviously a purebred Rottweiler, except of course that he was twice the size of a woolly mammoth, mostly invisible, and had three heads.

The dead walked right up to him—no fear at all. The ATTENDANT ON DUTY lines parted on either side of him. The EZ DEATH spirits walked right between his front paws and under his belly, which they could do without even crouching.

"I'm starting to see him better," Percy muttered. "Why is that?"

"I think ..." Annabeth moistened her lips. "I'm afraid it's because we're getting closer to being dead."

"I guess that means we are on the right track." Naruto commented.

The dog's middle head craned toward the four. It sniffed the air and growled.

"It can smell the living," Percy said, a bit nervous

"But that's okay," Grover said, trembling next to Naruto and Percy. "Because we have a plan."

"Right," Annabeth said. Percy had never heard her voice sound quite so small. "A plan."

As they moved closer to the giant three headed dog, the middle head lowered down to them before sniffing and the barking loudly. "Can you understand it?" Percy asked Grover.

"Oh yeah," he said. "I can understand it."

"What's it saying?"

"I don't think humans have a four-letter word that translates, exactly."

"That's nice to know." Naruto deadpanned.

"Hey, Big Fella," Percy called out as he took a stick out of his pack, which was a part of the bedpost from Crusty's place. "I bet they don't play with you much."

_"GROWWWLLLL!"_

"Good boy," Percy said weakly. The dog's middle head watched as Percy swung the thing around, the other two heads looking down at the boy, it attention on him and not the dead. He had the dog's undivided attention and they could not figure out if that was a good thing. "Fetch!" Percy threw the stick into the gloom, a good solid throw. They heard it go _ker-sploosh _in the River Styx.

Andrew sighed as he held the bridge of his nose. Cerberus glare, unimpressed. His eyes were baleful and cold.

Cerberus was now making a new kind of growl, deeper down in his three throats.

"Um," Grover said. "Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"I just thought you'd want to know."

"Yeah?"

"Cerberus? He's saying we've got ten seconds to pray to the god of our choice. After that... well ... he's hungry."

"Wait!" Annabeth said. She started rifling through her pack.

_Uh-oh_, Percy thought.

"Five seconds," Grover said. "Do we run now?"

"I ain't runnin'!" declared Naruto as he got ready for a fight.

Annabeth produced a red rubber ball the size of a grapefruit. It was labeled WATERLAND, DENVER, CO. Before they could stop her, she raised the ball and marched straight up to Cerberus.

She shouted, "See the ball? You want the ball, Cerberus? Sit!" Cerberus looked as stunned as the boys were. All three of his heads cocked sideways. Six nostrils dilated. "Sit!" Annabeth called again.

Cerberus licked his three sets of lips, shifted on his haunches, and sat, immediately crushing a dozen spirits who'd been passing underneath him in the EZ DEATH line. The spirits made muffled hisses as they dissipated, like the air let out of tires. Naruto winced at that.

Annabeth said, "Good boy!" She threw Cerberus the ball.

He caught it in his middle mouth. It was barely big enough for him to chew, and the other heads started snapping at the middle, trying to get the new toy.

"Drop it.'" Annabeth ordered.

Cerberus's heads stopped fighting and looked at her. The ball was wedged between two of his teeth like a tiny piece of gum. He made a loud, scary whimper, then dropped the ball, now slimy and bitten nearly in half, at Annabeth's feet.

"Good boy." She picked up the ball, ignoring the monster spit all over it. She turned toward us. "Go now. EZ DEATH line—it's faster."

Percy said, "But—"

"Now.'" She ordered, in the same tone she was using on the dog.

Naruto, Grover and Percy inched forward warily and Cerberus started to growl.

"Stay!" Annabeth ordered the monster. "If you want the ball, stay!" Cerberus whimpered, but he stayed where he was.

"What about you?" Percy asked Annabeth as they passed her.

"I know what I'm doing, Percy," she muttered. "At least, I'm pretty sure..." As soon as the panic stricken Naruto, Percy and Grover made their way to the other side of the giant dog by going under him, they noticed that Andrew was calmly sitting there.

Annabeth said, "Good dog!". Andrew made a clone which grabbed the ball from Annabeth and began playing with the large dog.

Annabeth and Andrew quickly made their way to the other three boys.

Percy replied with a shocked face as he look from Annabeth to Andrew. "How did you two do that?"

"Obedience school," Annabeth said with some tears in her eyes surprisingly. "When I was little, at my dad's house, we had a Doberman..."

"Well….I honestly just winged it." Andrew said with a shrugged, which got him a whack on the back of his head thanks to Annabeth. "Hey!"

"Never mind that," Grover said as he tugged on Percy's shirt. "Come on!" Grover and Percy pushed through the metal detector, which immediately screamed and set off flashing red lights. "Unauthorized possessions! Magic detected!" That made Cerberus look at them and bark before one of the clones got his attention again.

They burst through the EZ DEATH gate, which started even more alarms blaring, and raced into the Underworld. A few minutes later, the four were hiding, out of breath, in the rotten trunk of an immense black tree as security ghouls scuttled past, yelling for backup from the Furies.

Grover murmured, "Well, Percy, what have we learned today?"

"That three-headed dogs prefer red rubber balls over sticks?"

"No," Grover told him. "We've learned that your plans really, really bite! We were just lucky Andrew and Annabeth improvised. "

Out of the corner of his eye, Andrew saw Annabeth wipe a tear away from her eyes.


	19. Setup, Trouble with Hades

When they rounded a corner, the four of them stopped to gawk at the Fields of Asphodel. Imagine the largest concert crowd you've ever seen, a football field packed with a million fans.

Now imagine a field a million times that big, packed with people, and imagine the electricity had gone out, and there was no noise, no light, no beach ball bouncing around over the crowd. Something tragic has happened backstage. Whispering masses of people are just milling around in the shadows, waiting for a concert that will never start.

If you can picture that, you have a pretty good idea what the Fields of Asphodel looked like. The black grass had been trampled by eons of dead feet. A warm, moist wind blew like the breath of a swamp. Black trees—or poplars as Grover had told them—grew in clumps here and there.

The cavern ceiling was so high above them it might've been a bank of storm clouds, except for the stalactites, which glowed faint gray and looked wickedly pointed. They really hoped that the sharp stones did not fall on them as they made their through. Of course, some had already fallen, the dead didn't really have to worry about them.

They tried to blend into the crowd, keeping an eye out for security ghouls.

Percy couldn't help looking for familiar faces among the spirits of Asphodel, but the dead are hard to look at. Their faces shimmer. They all look slightly angry or confused. They came up to them and spoke, but their voices sound like chatter, like bats twittering. Once they realize the four can't understand them, they frowned and moved away.

Grover kind of realized that the dead weren't scary, they were just sad.

They crept along, following the line of new arrivals that snaked from the main gates toward a black-tented pavilion with a banner that read:

JUDGMENTS FOR ELYSIUM AND ETERNAL DAMNATION

Welcome, Newly Deceased!

Out the back of the tent came two much smaller lines.

To the left, spirits flanked by security ghouls were marched down a rocky path toward the Fields of Punishment, which glowed and smoked in the distance, a vast, cracked wasteland with rivers of lava and minefields and miles of barbed wire separating the different torture areas. Even from far away, they could see people being chased by hellhounds, burned at the stake, forced to run naked through cactus patches or listen to opera music. They could just make out a tiny hill, with the ant-size figure of Sisyphus struggling to move his boulder to the top. There were other thing too, much worse that just scared the living crap out of the kids.

The line coming from the right side of the judgment pavilion was much better. This one led down toward a small valley surrounded by walls—a gated community, which seemed to be the only happy part of the Underworld. Beyond the security gate were neighborhoods of beautiful houses from every time period in history, Roman villas and medieval castles and Victorian mansions. Silver and gold flowers bloomed on the lawns. The grass rippled in rainbow colors. They could hear laughter and smell barbecue cooking.

Elysium.

In the middle of that valley was a glittering blue lake, with three small islands like a vacation resort in the Bahamas. The Isles of the Blest, for people who had chosen to be reborn three times, and three times achieved Elysium.

"That's what it's all about," Annabeth said, looking to the boys who were eyeing the place with happy faces.. "That's the place for heroes."

Naruto frowned as he observed more of the place. There weren't many people there, which meant not a lot of people did a whole lot of good during their lives.

As they left the judgment pavilion and moved deeper into the Asphodel Fields, it got darker. The colors faded from their clothes. The crowds of chattering spirits began to thin.

After a few miles of walking, they began to hear a familiar screech in the distance. Looming on the horizon was a palace of glittering black obsidian. Above the parapets swirled three dark bat like creatures: the Furies. Percy gulped while Andrew narrowed his eyes, he figured the old hags were waiting for them.

"I suppose it's too late to turn back," Grover said wistfully.

"We'll be okay." Percy said.

"Maybe we should search some of the other places first," Grover suggested. "Like, Elysium, for instance ..."

"Come on, goat boy." Annabeth grabbed his arm.

Grover yelped. His sneakers sprouted wings and his legs shot forward, pulling him away from Annabeth. He landed flat on his back in the grass. Naruto quirked at eyebrow.

"Grover," Annabeth chided. "Stop messing around."

"But I didn't—" He yelped again. His shoes were flapping like crazy now. They levitated off the ground and started dragging him away from them. "Maia!" he yelled, but the magic word seemed to have no effect. "Maia, already! Nine-one one! Help!"

"They're cursed!" Andrew shouted as he and the others got over their shock and went after the goat boy. "Those shoes are cursed or something! We gotta get them off!"

"Grover! Untie the shoes!" Annabeth cried as they chased after him.

It was a smart idea, but it's not so easy when your shoes are pulling you along feet first at full speed. Grover tried to sit up, but he couldn't get close to the laces.

They kept after him, trying to keep him in sight as he ripped between the legs of spirits who chattered at him in annoyance.

It seemed that Grover was going to barrel straight through the gates of Hades' palace, but his shoes veered sharply to the right and dragged him in the opposite direction.

"Ok, this is just getting annoying." Naruto commented.

The slope got steeper. Grover picked up speed. While Annabeth and Percy had to sprint up the hill, Naruto was not having any trouble as he was ninja jumping up the whole way. The cavern walls narrowed on either side, two which they noticed that they had entered a tunnel of some sort. No black grass or trees now, just rock underfoot, and the dim light of the stalactites above.

"Grover!" Percy yelled, his voice echoing. "Hold on to something!"

"What?" The goat boy yelled back. He was grabbing at gravel, but there was nothing big enough to slow him down.

The tunnel got darker and colder. The hairs on their arms bristled. It smelled evil down here and that brought unhappy images to their eyes.

Percy's eyes widened when he saw what was up ahead and stopped dead in his tracks. The tunnel widened into a huge dark cavern, and in the middle was a chasm the size of a city block.

Grover was sliding straight toward the edge.

"Come on, Percy!" Annabeth yelled, tugging at his wrist.

"But that's—"

"I know!" she shouted. "The place you two described in your dreams! But Grover's going to fall if we don't catch him." She was right, of course. Grover's predicament got the boy moving again.

He was yelling, clawing at the ground, but the winged shoes kept dragging him toward the pit, and it didn't look like we could possibly get to him in time.

What saved him were his hooves.

The flying sneakers had always been a loose fit on him, and finally Grover hit a big rock and the left shoe came flying off. It sped into the darkness, down into the chasm. The right shoe kept tugging him along, but not as fast. Grover was able to slow himself down by grabbing on to the big rock and using it like an anchor.

The goat boy was ten feet away from the giant hole in the ground when Naruto caught the boy's arms. Grover looked at the blond in shock. "Heh, don't count on ever going down there, Grover!" Naruto said as Percy and Annabeth helped him pull Grover back over the slope and away from the hole. The other winged shoe tugged itself off, circled around them angrily and kicked their heads in protest before flying off into the chasm to join its twin.

"Tch….stupid demonic shoe." Naruto growled as he rubbed his head as Andrew, Percy and Annabeth fell on their asses, exhausted from their chase.

Grover was scratched up pretty bad. His hands were bleeding. His eyes had gone slit-pupiled, goat style, the way they did whenever he was terrified. "I don't know how ..." he panted. "I didn't..."

"Wait! Listen." Percy said, getting back up, even though his legs felt like lead and his backpack felt like someone had put a bunch of rocks in it.

The boy heard something—a deep whisper in the darkness. Andrew narrowed his eyes as he started to hear it as well.

Another few seconds, and Annabeth said, "Percy, this place—" however, Percy shushed her, trying to figure out what the noise was.

The sound was getting louder, a muttering, evil voice from far, far below us. Coming from the pit. Grover sat up. "Wh—what's that noise?"

Annabeth heard it too, now. They could see it as her eyes widened. "Tartarus. The entrance to Tartarus."

Percy uncapped his sword, ready for anything that came their way as Naruto made his katana come out and Andrew his scythe. At the reveal of the weapons, the voice hesitated for moment before resuming it chanting.

The words that were being spoken seemed to be very old, a lot older than Greek. "Magic." Percy murmured.

"We have to get out of here," Annabeth said.

"Yeah, I agree." Naruto replied, "I don't want to deal with whatever is coming for us.

They dragged Grover to his hooves and started back up the tunnel. For some reason, Percy was having a very hard time. He was getting more tired and his backpack seemed to be getting heavier.

The voice got louder and angrier behind them, so they ran for it.

Not a moment too soon.

A cold blast of wind pulled at their backs, as if the entire pit were inhaling. For a terrifying moment, they lost their footing and felt like where being dragged in. If they'd been any closer to the edge, they would've been sucked in.

They kept struggling forward, and finally reached the top of the tunnel, where the cavern widened out into the Fields of Asphodel. The wind died. A wail of outrage echoed from deep in the tunnel. Something was not happy they'd gotten away.

"What was that?" Grover panted, when they had collapsed in the relative safety of a black poplar grove. "One of Hades' pets?"

Annabeth got a look on her face that seemed to scare Percy, but Andrew shook his head. "No, I don't think so. Besides that was Tartarus, if could have been anything." He said as they all returned their weapons.

Percy capped his sword and put the pen back in his pocket. "Let's keep going." Perrcy looked at Grover. "Can you walk?"

The poor guy swallowed. "Yeah, sure. I never liked those shoes, anyway." He tried to sound brave about it, but he was trembling as badly as Annabeth and Percy were. Naruto was scared but he wouldn't show it. Whatever was in that pit was nobody's pet. It was unspeakably old and powerful. Even Echidna hadn't given them that feeling. Turning their backs to the pit, they were almost relieved to be going to Hades' Palace.

Almost.

The Furies circled the parapets, high in the gloom. The outer walls of the fortress glittered black, and the two-story-tall bronze gates stood wide open.

Up close, they saw that the engravings on the gates were scenes of death. Some were from modern times—an atomic bomb exploding over a city, a trench filled with gas mask-wearing soldiers, a line of African famine victims waiting with empty bowls—but all of them looked as if they'd been etched into the bronze thousands of years ago. There was another where a man with a large staff raised above his head as he faced of a giant one eyed demonic being with ten tails. Percy wondered if these were prophecies come true.

Inside the courtyard was the strangest garden. Multicolored mushrooms, poisonous shrubs, and weird luminous plants grew without sunlight. Precious jewels made up for the lack of flowers, piles of rubies as big as my fist, clumps of raw diamonds. Standing here and there like frozen party guests were Medusa's garden statues— petrified children, satyrs, and centaurs—all smiling grotesquely.

In the center of the garden was an orchard of pomegranate trees, their orange blooms neon bright in the dark. "The garden of Persephone," Annabeth said. "Keep walking."

Of course they understood why they needed to leave. The tart smell of those pomegranates was almost overwhelming. They wanted to grab a bit to eat, but they knew the story of Persephone. One bite of Underworld food, and they would never be able to leave. Andrew pulled Grover away to keep him from picking a big juicy one.

They walked up the steps of the palace, between black columns, through a black marble portico, and into the house of Hades. The entry hall had a polished bronze floor, which seemed to boil in the reflected torchlight. There was no ceiling, just the cavern roof, far above. Which made sense, since there was not forgiving rain down here.

Every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armor, some British redcoat uniforms; which Naruto resisted the urge to mess with like tourist do, some camouflage with tattered American flags on the shoulders. They carried spears or muskets or M-16s. None of them bothered the four, but their hollow eye sockets followed them as the kids walked down the hall, toward the big set of doors at the opposite end.

Two U.S. Marine skeletons guarded the doors. They grinned down at them, rocket-propelled grenade launchers held across their chests.

"You know," Grover mumbled, "I bet Hades doesn't have trouble with door-to-door salesmen."

"Come on…let's just get in there." She said, not noticing Percy's discomfort because of his really heavy backpack.

The boy wanted to see what had made his backpack feel like someone had put a bowling ball in it, but now was not the time. "Well, guys," Percy said. "I suppose we should ... knock?"

A hot wind blew down the corridor, and the doors swung open. The guards stepped aside.

"I guess that means _entrez-vous_," Annabeth said.

Sighing Naruto muttered, "Time to face the music."

The room inside looked just like in the dream, except this time the throne of Hades was occupied. They got the feeling that he was the one who should be giving orders. It was an aura like Ares' but this one was kind of scary.

He was at least ten feet tall, for one thing, and dressed in black silk robes and a crown of braided gold. His skin was albino white, his hair shoulder-length and jet black. He wasn't bulked up like Ares, but he radiated power. He lounged on his throne of fused human bones, looking lithe, graceful, and dangerous as a panther.

Andrew and Naruto were unfazed by the aura, however, his three companion just looked scared and nervous.

"Um….Lord and Uncle." Percy began, clearly affected by the man's aura. "I come with two requests."

Hades raised an eyebrow. When he sat forward in his throne, shadowy faces appeared in the folds of his black robes, faces of torment, as if the garment were stitched of trapped souls from the Fields of Punishment, trying to get out. The ADHD part of Percy wondered, off-task, whether the rest of his clothes were made the same way. What horrible things would you have to do in your life to get woven into Hades' underwear?

"Only two requests?" Hades said. "Arrogant child. As if you have not already taken enough.

Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead yet." Andrew frowned at that. Obviously something was stolen here as well and everyone is blaming Percy.

Percy nervously glanced at the empty, smaller throne next to Hades'. It was shaped like a black flower, gilded with gold. He wished Queen Persephone were here. He recalled something in the myths about how she could calm her husband's moods. But it was summer. Of course, Persephone would be above in the world of light with her mother, the goddess of agriculture, Demeter. Her visits, not the tilt of the planet, create the seasons.

Annabeth cleared her throat. Her finger prodded him in the back.

"Lord Hades," Percy said. "Look, sir, there can't be a war among the gods. It would be ... bad."

"Really bad." commented Grover.

"And besides, with all the dead people here, I am sure you don't really need any more." deadpanned Naruto.

"Return Zeus's master bolt to me," Percy said. "Please, sir. Let me carry it to Olympus."

Hades' eyes grew dangerously bright. "You dare keep up this pretense, after what you have done?"

"Ok stop, what do ya mean? The water boy hasn't done anything!" Naruto interrupted.

"What exactly have I done?" Percy asked in curiosity

The throne room shook with a tremor so strong, they probably felt it upstairs in Los Angeles. Debris fell from the cavern ceiling. Doors burst open all along the walls, and skeletal warriors marched in, hundreds of them, from every time period and nation in Western civilization. They lined the perimeter of the room, blocking the exits.

Hades bellowed, "Do you think I want war, godling?"

Percy wanted to say something but Naruto beat him to the punch. "Well, these guys don't look like peace activists." He deadpanned, jutting his thumb at all the undead soldiers, which made Andrew laugh.

"Only you would say that Naruto. Only you."

"You are the Lord of the Dead," Percy said carefully. "A war would expand your kingdom, right?"

"A typical thing for my brothers to say! Do you think I need more subjects? Did you not see the sprawl of the Asphodel Fields?"

"Well..."

"Have you any idea how much my kingdom has swollen in this past century alone, how many subdivisions I've had to open?"

Percy wanted to answer him but Hades was now on a roll.

"More security ghouls while Tanis and Laurana are going crazy out there," he moaned. "Traffic problems at the judgment pavilion. Double overtime for the staff. I used to be a rich god, Percy Jackson. I control all the precious metals under the earth. But my expenses!"

"Problems everywhere, and I've got to handle all of them personally. The commute time alone from the palace to the gates is enough to drive me insane! And the dead just keep arriving. No, godling. I need no help getting subjects! I did not ask for this war."

"But you took Zeus's master bolt."

"Lies!" More rumbling. Hades rose from his throne, towering to the height of a football goalpost. "Your father may fool Zeus, boy, but I am not so stupid. I see his plan."

"His plan?"

"_You_ were the thief on the winter solstice," he said. "Your father thought to keep you his little secret. He directed you into the throne room on Olympus, You took the master bolt and my helm. Had I not sent my Fury to discover you at Yancy Academy, Poseidon might have succeeded in hiding his scheme to start a war. But now you have been forced into the open. You will be exposed as Poseidon's thief, and I will have my helm back!"

"But ..." Annabeth spoke. Percy could tell her mind was going a million miles an hour. "Lord Hades, your helm of darkness is missing, too?"

"Do not play innocent with me, girl. You, the satyr, and the shinobi have been helping this hero—coming here to threaten me in Poseidon's name, no doubt—to bring me an ultimatum. Does Poseidon think I can be blackmailed into supporting him?"

"No!" Percy said. "Poseidon didn't—I didn't—"

"I have said nothing of the helm's disappearance," Hades snarled, "because I had no illusions that anyone on Olympus would offer me the slightest justice, the slightest help. I can ill afford for word to get out that my most powerful weapon of fear is missing. So I searched for you myself, and when it was clear you were coming to me to deliver your threat, I did not try to stop you."

"You didn't try to stop us? But—"

"Wait!" Andrew interrupted, seeing where this was going. "I was will him during the winter solstice and we did not know about our heritage! So he could not have done it!"

"Young shinobi, your urge to protect him is commendable but I want my helm returned NOW, or I will stop death!" Hades shouted.

"That is my counterproposal. I will open the earth and have the dead pour back into the world. I will make your lands a nightmare. And you, Percy Jackson—your skeleton will lead my army out of Hades."

The skeletal soldiers all took one step forward, making their weapons ready.

At this point, Percy did not look terrified, but he looked very angry, he was so sick of being accused all the time!

"You're as bad as Zeus," I said. "You think I stole from you? That's why you sent the Furies after me?"

"Of course," Hades said.

"And the other monsters?"

Hades curled his lip. "I had nothing to do with them. I wanted no quick death for you—I wanted you brought before me alive so you might face every torture in the Fields of Punishment. Why do you think I let you enter my kingdom so easily?"

"Easily?" Percy blinked.

"Return my property!"

"But I don't have your helm. I came for the master bolt."

"Which you already possess!" Hades shouted. "You came here with it, little fool, thinking you could you threaten me!"

"But I didn't!"

"Open your pack, then." Hades commanded and Percy felt dread and Andrew paled. _Oh fuck._ Was that why that pack was so heavy?

Percy slung it off his shoulder and unzipped it. Inside was a two-foot-long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends, humming with energy.

"Oh man…that is so not good." Naruto nervously said.

"Percy," Annabeth said. "How—"

"I—I don't know. I don't understand."

"You heroes are always the same," Hades said. "Your pride makes you foolish, thinking you could bring such a weapon before me. I did not ask for Zeus's master bolt, but since it is here, you will yield it to me. I am sure it will make an excellent bargaining tool. And now ... my helm. Where is it?"

"Lord Hades, wait," Percy said, ignoring what Naruto said for the moment. "This is all a mistake."

"A mistake?" Hades roared.

The skeletons aimed their weapons. From high above, there was a fluttering of leathery wings, and the three Furies swooped down to perch on the back of their master's throne. The one with Mrs. Dodds's face grinned at Percy eagerly and flicked her whip.

"There is no mistake," Hades said. "I know why you have come—I know the _real _reason you brought the bolt. You came to bargain for _her_."

Hades loosed a ball of gold fire from his palm. It exploded in front of the water boy, and what was reveal was his mother, frozen in time. She looked like she had when the Minotaur caught her and tried to squeeze her to death.

_Ok, even I think that is cruel._ Naruto thought with a glare.

"Yes," Hades said with satisfaction. "I took her. I knew, Percy Jackson, that you would come to bargain with me eventually. Return my helm, and perhaps I will let her go. She is not dead, you know. Not yet. But if you displease me, that will change."

Percy knew he did not have the Helm of Darkness and neither did his friends, that much he knew. The pearls in his pocket caught his attention and he knew they had to use them. They were so not ready for this place. "Ah, the pearls," Hades said, which made the water boy's blood freeze. "Yes, my brother and his little tricks. Bring them forth, Percy Jackson." Like he was hypnotized, Percy took them out.

"Only four," Hades said. "What a shame. You do realize one of you has to stay behind right?"

"Try to take your mother, then, little godling. And which of your friends will you leave behind to spend eternity with me? Go on. Choose. Or give me the backpack and accept my terms."

"We were tricked," Percy told them as their faces looked very grim. "Set up."

"Yes, but why?" Annabeth asked. "And the voice in the pit—"

"I don't know yet," Percy said. "But I intend to ask."

"Decide, boy!" Hades yelled.

"Percy." Grover put his hand on my shoulder. "You can't give him the bolt,"

"I know that."

"Leave me here," he said. "Use the forth pearl on your mom."

"Or you can leave me here." Naruto offered.

"No!"

"I'm a satyr," Grover said. "We don't have souls like humans do. He can torture me until I die, but he won't get me forever. I'll just be reincarnated as a flower or something. It's the best way."

"No." Annabeth drew her bronze knife. "You guys go on. Grover, you have to protect Percy. You have to get your searcher's license and start your quest for Pan. Naruto also has to protect him because he is good at it. Get his mom out of here. I'll cover you. I plan to go down fighting."

"No way," Grover said. "I'm staying behind."

"Think again, goat boy," Annabeth said.

"Hey, I am not leaving all the glory to you guys." Naruto said.

"Stop it, all of you!" Percy shouted. They have been with him for so long and he was not going to abandon them! He remembered Grover dive-bombing Medusa in the statue garden with Naruto's and Andrew's ninja like help and Annabeth and Andrew working together to save them from Cerberus; they had survived Hephaestus's Waterland ride, the St. Louis Arch, the Lotus Casino. He had spent the whole way, fretting that one of them would betray him but he knew his friends wouldn't do that. They had done nothing but save him and now it was his turn.

Andrew saw the look in the boy's eyes and smiled sadly. This was a true team, that was for sure.

"I kn..," Percy said.

"You realize I need to stay down here right?" Andrew interrupted shocking everyone.

"W-why?" Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose. "The Nereid told me that I needed to talk to Hades. I also would like t learn some things from him as well. Why do you think she gave you four pearls and not five. Face it you four have to go end of discussion goodbye!"

"...Take these." He handed all of them a pearl except Andrew.

Annabeth said, "But, Percy ..."

However, Naruto put a hand on her shoulder and gave Andrew a hard glare "You'd better come back alive!"

Andrew snorted "Of course."

Percy turned and faced his mother. He desperately wanted to sacrifice himself and use the last pearl on her, but he knew what she would say. She would never allow it. He had to get the bolt back to Olympus and tell Zeus the truth. He and Naruto had to stop the war. She would never forgive him if he saved her instead. He thought about the prophecy made at Half-Blood Hill, what seemed like a million years ago. _You will fail to save what matters most in the end._

"I'm sorry," he told her. "I'll be back. I'll find a way."

The smug look on Hades' face faded. He said, "Godling ... ?"

"I'll find your helm, Uncle," Percy told him. "I'll return it."

"Do not defy me—"

"And it wouldn't hurt to play with Cerberus once in a while. He likes red rubber balls."

"Percy Jackson, you will not—"

Percy shouted, "Now, guys!"

They smashed the pearls at our feet. For a scary moment, nothing happened. Naruto didn't seem to like that and took out a kunai just in case.

Hades yelled, "Destroy them!"

The army of skeletons rushed forward, swords out, guns clicking to full automatic. The Furies lunged, their whips bursting into flame.

Just as the skeletons opened fire, the pearl fragments at their feet exploded with a burst of green light and a gust of fresh sea wind. They were each encased in a milky white sphere, which was starting to float off the ground. Andrew melded the shadows and darkness around himself to protect himself from the bullets.

Spears and bullets sparked harmlessly off the pearl bubbles as we floated up. Hades yelled with such rage, the entire fortress shook and the son of Poseidon knew it was not going to be a peaceful night in L.A.

"Look up.'" Grover yelled. "We're going to crash!"

Looking up they were nearing the sharp stalactites and they felt like the bubbles were going to pop and they were be skewered.

"How do you control these things?" Annabeth shouted.

"I don't think you do!" Percy shouted back.

They screamed as the bubbles slammed into the ceiling and ... Darkness.

The skeletons stopped firing when Hades told them to stand down. A portal opened in the ceiling and the furies flew out of it. When they left Hades turned to Andrew. "So godling have you stayed to offer your services to me?" Andrew's voice got deeper and darker. **"No I'm here to talk."** He paled as he recognized the voice.

"Oh shit."

Naruto wondered if they were dead but they couldn't be as he finally noticed where they were. They were in the ocean! Then the bubbles popped and he grimaced at that, they were pretty face in. Percy used his own power to shoot through the water and get back to the surface.

The exploded on the surface, in the middle of the Santa Monica Bay, knocking a surfer off his board with an indignant, "Dude!"

They made their way over to a buoy…well Percy hulled Annabeth and Naruto hulled Grover over to the buoy. A curious shark was circling them, a great white about eleven feet long. It attention however was fixed on the blond ninja. Percy scowled and said, "Beat it!" The shark turned and raced away.

The surfer screamed something about bad mushrooms and paddled away from them as fast as he could.

In the distance, Los Angeles was on fire, plumes of smoke rising from neighborhoods all over the city. There had been an earthquake, all right, and it was Hades' fault. He was probably sending an army of the dead after the Percy right now.

They didn't have to look at a clock to see it was the last and day and they needed to talk to Zeus, who was on the other side of the continent, before a war started.

"Well….this will be interesting." commented Naruto.


	20. Leaving the Underworld, Fight with a God

A Coast Guard boat picked up the four kids, but they were too busy to keep them for long, or to wonder how four kids in street clothes had gotten out into the middle of the bay. There was a disaster to mop up. Their radios were jammed with distress calls.

They dropped the four off at the Santa Monica Pier with towels around their shoulders and water bottles that said I'M A JUNIOR COAST GUARD! and sped off to save more people.

Their clothes were sopping wet, even Percy's. Percy had no shoes because he gave them to Grover, hoping no one saw the goat boy's hooves.

After reaching dry land, they stumbled down the beach, watching the city burn against a beautiful. Percy was straining with the heavy bolt in his backpack, but Naruto saw the sad look on the boy's face. The blond put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I don't believe it," Annabeth said. "We went all that way—"

"It was a trick," Percy said. "A strategy worthy of Athena."

"Hey," she warned.

"You get it, don't you?"

She dropped her eyes, her anger fading. "Yeah. I get it."

"Well, I don't!" Grover complained. "Would somebody—"

"Percy ..." Annabeth said. "I'm sorry about your mother. I'm so sorry..."

Percy tried to ignore her, not wanting to think about that. "The prophecy was right," Percy said. "You shall go west and face the god who has turned."

"Yeah, but Hades got robbed as well." Naruto commented.

Grover shook his head, mystified. "But who would be that sneaky? Who would want war that bad?"

Percy stopped in his tracks and looked down the beach. "Gee, let me think."

Naruto just smacked his head. "Yeah, that figures."

There he was, waiting for us, in his black leather duster and his sunglasses, an aluminum baseball bat propped on his shoulder. His motorcycle rumbled beside him, its headlight turning the sand red.

"Hey, kid," Ares said, seeming genuinely pleased to see me. "You were supposed to die."

"Glad you have so much faith in us." Naruto mumbled.

"You tricked me," Percy said. _"You _stole the helm and the master bolt."

Ares grinned. "Well, now, I didn't steal them personally. Gods taking each other's symbols of power—that's a big no-no. But you're not the only hero in the world who can run errands."

"Who did you use? Clarisse? She was there at the winter solstice." Percy asked.

The idea seemed to amuse Ares. "Doesn't matter. The point is, kid, you're impeding the war effort. See, you've got to die in the Underworld. Then Old Seaweed will be mad at Hades for killing you. Corpse Breath will have Zeus's master bolt, so Zeus will be mad at _him. _And Hades is still looking for this ..." From his pocket he took out a ski cap—the kind bank robbers wear—and placed it between the handlebars of his bike. Immediately, the cap transformed into an elaborate bronze war helmet.

"No way! " said a shocked Naruto.

"The helm of darkness," Grover gasped.

"Exactly," Ares said. "Now where was I? Oh yeah, Hades will be mad at both Zeus and Poseidon, because he doesn't know who took this. Pretty soon, we got a nice little three-way slugfest going."

"But they're your family!" Annabeth protested

Ares shrugged. "Best kind of war. Always the bloodiest. Nothing like watching your relatives fight, I always say."

"Not when it turns out to be a huge freakin' world war." deadpanned Naruto.

"You gave me the backpack in Denver," Percy said. "The master bolt was in there the whole time."

"Yes and no," Ares said. "It's probably too complicated for your little mortal brain to follow, but the backpack is the master bolt's sheath, just morphed a bit. The bolt is connected to it, sort of like that sword you got, kid. It always returns to your pocket, right?"

Naruto rose an eyebrow at that.

"Anyway," Ares continued, "I tinkered with the magic a bit, so the bolt would only return to the sheath once you reached the Underworld. You get close to Hades... Bingo, you got mail. If you died along the way—no loss. I still had the weapon."

"But why not just keep the master bolt for yourself?" Percy said. "Why send it to Hades?"

"Yeah." Naruto laughed. "Like you said, you got mail, no one would notice."

Ares got a twitch in his jaw. For a moment, it was almost as if he were listening to another voice, deep inside his head. "Why didn't I ... yeah ... with that kind of firepower ..." He held the trance for one second ... two seconds...

Percy exchanged nervous looks with Annabeth while Naruto narrowed his eyes.

Ares' face cleared. "I didn't want the trouble. Better to have you caught red handed, holding the thing."

"That is a load of shit." Naruto said. "Sending Zeus' toy of mass destruction was not even your idea."

"Of course it was!" Smoke drifted up from his sunglasses, as if they were about to catch fire.

"You didn't order the theft," Percy guessed. "Someone else sent a hero to steal the two items. Then, when Zeus sent you to hunt him down, you caught the thief. But you didn't turn him over to Zeus. Something convinced you to let him go. You kept the items until another hero could come along and complete the delivery. That thing in the pit is ordering you around."

"I am the god of war! I take orders from no one! I don't have dreams!"

Naruto rose an eyebrow and smirked. Gotcha. "That made no sense man, we said nothing about dreams." That mean that it wasn't Ares' plan and whoever was behind the scene was doing it through dreams.

Ares looked agitated, but he tried to cover it with a smirk.

"Let's get back to the problem at hand, kids. You're alive. I can't have you taking that bolt to Olympus. You just might get those hardheaded idiots to listen to the two of you. So I've got to kill you. Nothing personal."

He snapped his fingers. The sand exploded at his feet and out charged a wild boar, even larger and uglier than the one whose head hung above the door of cabin seven at Camp Half-Blood. The beast pawed the sand, glaring at them with beady eyes as it lowered its razor-sharp tusks and waited for the command to kill.

"Fight me yourself, Ares." Percy said as he stepped out into the water.

"Hey, not without me, you don't." Naruto said, itching for a fight. So he stepped onto the water.

Ares laughed, but Percy heard a little edge to his laughter ... an uneasiness. "You've only got one talent, brat, running away. You ran from the Chimera. You ran from the Underworld. You don't have what it takes."

"You never know until you try, eh Ares." Naruto said with a smirk. "Besides, those were tactical retreats. You of all people should know who useful they are in war, Ares."

Percy smirked at the encouragement and Naruto's taunt to the man, "Scared?"

"In your adolescent dreams." But his sunglasses were starting to melt from the heat of his eyes. "No direct involvement. Sorry, kid. You're not at my level."

Annabeth said, "Percy, Naruto, run!"

The giant boar charged.

Percy glared at the beast. He was done running. They sidestepped the beast and summoned their sword/katana. Percy slashed upwards while Naruto slashed to the side. A flash of metal and they severed the beast's tusk and left a huge gash on its right flank. The disoriented pig charged into the sea.

Percy shouted, "Wave!" Immediately, a wave surged up from nowhere and engulfed the boar, wrapping around it like a blanket. The beast squealed once in terror. Then it was gone, swallowed by the sea.

Naruto blinked at what happened before he smiled. "Sweet."

They turned back to Ares. "Are you going to fight us now?" Percy asked. "Or are you going to hide behind another pet?"

Ares' face was purple with rage. "Watch it, kid. I could turn you into—"

"A cockroach," Percy said. "Or a tapeworm. Yeah, I'm sure. That'd save you from getting your godly hide whipped, wouldn't it?"

Flames danced along the top of his glasses. "Oh, man, you are really asking to be smashed into a grease spot."

"If we lose, turn us into anything you want. Take the bolt. If we win, the helm and the bolt are ours and you have to go away." Percy reasoned, gaining a knowing look from his blond partner.

Ares sneered. He swung the baseball bat off his shoulder. "How would you like to get smashed: classic or modern?"

The boys flashed their swords.

"That's cool, dead boys," he said. "Classic it is." The baseball bat changed into a huge, two handed sword. The hilt was a large silver skull with a ruby in its mouth.

"Percy, Naruto," Annabeth said. "Don't do this. He's a god."

"He's a coward," Percy told her.

Naruto smiled at the girl, "We got this." He then activated the seal on his wrist and his weapons pouch appeared. "I got his back if anything goes wrong."

Annabeth still looked nervous at that, so she walked up to the water boy and put her necklace on him. "Wear this, at least. For luck." The necklace had five years' worth of year round Camp Half Blood in it. "Reconciliation," she said. "Athena and Poseidon together."

"And take this," Grover said. He handed Percy a flattened tin can that he'd probably been saving in his pocket for a thousand miles. He gave Naruto his reed pipes for the moment. "The satyrs stand behind you." The boys looked grateful at the Satyr.

"You all done saying good-bye?" asked an annoyed Ares, his eye twitching because he thought they forgot he was still there. Ares came toward the two, his black leather duster trailing behind him, his sword glinting like fire in the sunrise. "I've been fighting for eternity, kids. My strength is unlimited and I cannot die. What have you got?"

_A smaller ego for one._ Percy thought but didn't say anything as he got ready for battle. He looked at the water around him, think back to his time in Denver.

Naruto smirked, this was going to be fun!

The boys dove to the side as Ares' huge blade came down where they used to be. The water fought for Percy as he was catapulted into the air and slashed down at the man, making Naruto think that the water boy had ninja jumped.

But Ares was just as quick. He twisted, and the strike that should've caught him directly in the spine was deflected off the end of his sword hilt. He grinned. "Not bad, not bad."

"I knew we were going to have a spar. This is going to be fun!" Naruto said smiling as he rushed the man. He brought his sword into a horizontal slash, which was block by the man's large sword. Smirking again, Naruto kept swinging and his sword looked like they was connected at the hilts, however, Ares blocked every strike that was thrown his way until he kicked Naruto away from him. "Not bad either."

"Heh, never underestimate me." Naruto said as he held his stomach.

That was when Percy rushed in and slashed at the man again. Ares blocked before he slashed, making Percy sidestep the attack. That sent Percy back onto dry land. When he tried get back in the water, Ares blocked him, knowing what the boy needed.

_Get in close, _Luke had told Percy once, back in their sword class. _When you've got the shorter_ _blade, get in close._

Percy stepped inside with a thrust, but Ares was waiting for that. He knocked his blade out of his hands and kicked him in the chest. Percy went airborne—twenty, maybe thirty feet. he would've broken his back if he hadn't crashed into the soft sand of a dune.

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled. "Cops!"

Naruto cursed under his breath. He looked at Percy to see the boy breathing heavily. So he rushed back into the fight, ignoring the men in blue.

"There, officer!" somebody yelled. "See?"

A gruff cop voice: "Looks like those kids from TV ... what the heck ..."

"That guy's armed," another cop said. "Call for backup."

Percy recovered and entered the battled. Naruto jumped high into the air and sent an axe kick to the side of Ares' head, who block it with his arm.. Percy also had to dodge the large blade as it came down on the sand.

Both boys rushed in again, after Percy regained his sword when it flew out of his hands, but was blocked yet again. That made Naruto growl. Shaking his head, they made their way back to the water.

"Admit it, brats," Ares said. "You got no hope. I'm just toying with you."

In the distance, they heard more sirens and cursed their luck, they needed end this soon. Percy stepped further in the water, but Ares was quick, the tip of his blade ripped Percy's sleeve and grazed his forearm. The man sent an attack at Naruto as well leaving a gash on his left shoulder. He inspected the wound and realized that it was shallow so it was fine.

A police voice on a megaphone said, "Drop the guns.' Set them on the ground. Now!"

Gun? Percy concentrated on the man's weapon and it seemed to flicker from between a sword to a shotgun. Naruto, just assumed that was what the mist made the idiots see.

Ares turned to glare at their spectators, which gave the boys a moment to breathe. There were five police cars now, and a line of officers crouching behind them, pistols trained on the fighters. "This is a private matter!" Ares bellowed. "Be gone."

He swept his hand, and a wall of red flame rolled across the patrol cars. The police barely had time to dive for cover before their vehicles exploded. The crowd behind them scattered, screaming.

Ares roared with laughter. "Now, little heroes. Let's add you to the barbecue."

"Elemental attacks, huh?" Naruto said as he blocked a swing from Ares, letting Percy get back and get an idea.

Jumped back to Percy's position, Naruto noticed the boy's energy in the water, churning it up. Naruto smirked and the boy's nodded to each other. They were both tired and this was going to be it. Naruto grimaced though, his arms felt like jelly thanks to Ares' strength.

Percy held the water back like he did in Denver when he and Annabeth needed to get out of the Tunnel of Love ride. Like Annabeth told him, he was holding back the pressure until the right moment. When the man was right next to them and had no time to dodge anything, Percy let loose the torrent of water.

A six-foot wall of water smashed him full in the face, leaving him cursing and sputtering with a mouth full of seaweed. Percy landed behind the man. He feinted his sword at Ares head, making the man bring his sword up to block the attack, but since he was disoriented from the water attack, he didn't anticipate the trick. He changed direction, lunged to the side, and stabbed the blade straight down into the water, sending the point through each of the god's heels.

The roar that followed made Hades' earthquake look like a minor event. The very sea was blasted back from Ares, leaving a wet circle of sand fifty feet wide.

Ichor, the golden blood of the gods, flowed from the gashes in the war god's boots and from the man's nose. The expression on his face was beyond hatred. It was pain, shock, complete disbelief that he'd been wounded.

He limped toward them, muttering ancient Greek curses. Something stopped him.

It was as if a cloud covered the sun, but worse. Light faded. Sound and color drained away. A cold, heavy presence passed over the beach, slowing time, dropping the temperature to freezing, and making the boys feel like life was hopeless, fighting was useless.

The darkness lifted.

Ares looked stunned.

Police cars were burning behind them. The crowd of spectators had fled. Annabeth and Grover stood on the beach, in shock, watching the water flood back around Ares' feet, his glowing golden ichor dissipating in the tide.

Ares lowered his sword.

"You have made an enemy, godling, shinobi," he told them. "You have sealed your fate. Every time you raise your blade in battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Perseus Jackson, Naruto Uzumaki. Beware."

Naruto smirked warily, "Come on man. I treated the entire fight as a spar. Why do you think I didn't use jutsu. After all, all's fair in love and war." That made everyone look at the blond like he was nuts.

Smirking, Ares' body began to glow.

'''Percy, Naruto!" Annabeth shouted. "Don't watch!"

They turned away as the god Ares revealed his true immortal form. They somehow knew that if they looked, they would disintegrate into ashes.

The light died.

When they looked back, the body was Ares was gone. They had own…for now.

The tide rolled out to reveal Hades' bronze helm of darkness. Naruto decided to pick it up as they made their way back to shore to meet with their friends.

But before they got there, they heard the flapping of leathery wings. Three evil-looking grandmothers with lace hats and fiery whips drifted down from the sky and landed in front of the two boys.

The middle Fury, the one who had been Mrs. Dodd's, stepped forward. Her fangs were bared, but for once she didn't look threatening. She looked more disappointed, as if she'd been planning to have Percy for supper, but had decided he might give her indigestion.

"We saw the whole thing," she hissed. "So ... it truly was not you?"

"What do you think we have been trying to prove." Naruto said as he tossed the helm to her, which she caught in surprise.

"Return that to Lord Hades," Percy said. "Tell him the truth. Tell him to call off the war."

"Yeah and please make sure he hasn't done anything to Andrew since we left." Naruto commented.

She hesitated, then ran a forked tongue over her green, leathery lips. "Live well, Percy Jackson. Become a true hero. Because if you do not, if you ever come into my clutches again ..." She cackled before turning to Naruto and smirked. "Oh and Naruto I have the next exam for yo..."

"NOOOOOOO!" He yelled as he ran off. She cackled before she and her sisters rose on their bats' wings, fluttered into the smoke-filled sky, and disappeared.

The two boys joined Grover and Annabeth, who were staring at them in amazement.

Grover said. "That was so incredibly ..."

"Terrifying," said Annabeth.

"Cool!" Grover corrected.

"Glad ya like it." Naruto said as he tossed him back his reed pipes.

Percy smiled but he was dog tired and he didn't feel scared at all. "Did you guys feel that... whatever it was?" They both nodded uneasily.

"Must've been the Furies overhead," Grover said.

"Well whatever it was, it saved out asses." Naruto commented with a nervous chuckle.

Percy reclaimed his backpack from Grover and looked inside. The master bolt was still there. Such a small thing to almost cause World War III.

As if reading his thoughts, Naruto commented, "Like I said before, it is Zeus' toy of mass destruction. A stupid war over a freakin' weapon. Now we just need to get back to New York."

"By tonight." Percy amended.

"That's impossible," Annabeth said, "unless we—"

"Fly." Dead panned both Naruto and Percy.

She stared at them. "Fly, like, in an airplane, which you were warned never to do lest Zeus strike you out of the sky, and carrying a weapon that has more destructive power than a nuclear bomb?"

"Ah, but that is the point." Naruto cut in. "He wouldn't do that since we have the bolt and wouldn't risk destroying the world."

"Yeah, what Naruto said." Percy replied, "Pretty much exactly like that. Come on."

"Heh, I'll get the plane tickets!" Naruto said as they got the hell of out there.


	21. Council of the gods, Luke's betrayal

**Well this is it. I know some of you readers have don't like this story or better yet my OC Andrew because he is related to Naruto and just threw him in the story. Not only that I had entered him into the story with no background whatsoever. I'll admit it. I had explained him in my first story which is still being written Survivors of the Namikaze Clan but didn't explain him in this one so sorry about that. If you want to see or at least know the background on him you'd have to read it. However I plan on writing crossovers between the other Percy Jackson books except for SoM. Thank you all for those who reviewed and favorited my story. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or TLT.**

The Mist that Chiron talked about really did screw up a normal human's perception of all the 'mythical' things that go on in the world. Seriously, Percy beat himself up about the whole way back to New York. But before that, they had a little fun with the reporters, who told them what they thought had happened.

According to the L.A. news, the explosion at the Santa Monica beach had been caused when a crazy kidnapper fired a shotgun at a police car. He accidentally hit a gas main that had ruptured during the earthquake.

This crazy kidnapper (a.k.a. Ares) was the same man who had abducted Percy, Naruto, Andrew and two other adolescents in New York and brought them across country on a ten-day odyssey of terror.

Poor little Percy Jackson, Andrew Namikaze and Naruto Uzumaki weren't international criminals after all. Percy had caused a commotion on that Greyhound bus in New Jersey trying to get away from their captor (and afterward, witnesses would even swear they had seen the leather-clad man on the bus). The crazy man had caused the explosion in the St. Louis Arch. After all, no kid could've done that. A concerned waitress in Denver had seen the man threatening his abductees outside her diner, gotten a friend to take a photo, and notified the police.

Throughout the entire ordeal the children got separated from Andrew Namikaze. The police has posted up a lost person report to try to help find the missing boy. Finally, brave Percy Jackson , thanks to the supposed encouragement from Naruto Uzumaki, had stolen a gun from his captor in Los Angeles and battled him shotgun-to-rifle on the beach. Naruto had stolen the man's knives to defend himself against man, helping Percy fight off their captor. Police had arrived just in time. But in the spectacular explosion, five police cars had been destroyed and the captor had fled. No fatalities had occurred. Percy Jackson and his three friends were safely in police custody while Andrew Namikaze was still missing.

The reporters fed them this whole story and they just nodded and acted tearful and exhausted, which wasn't hard, and played victimized kids for the cameras.

"All I want," Percy said, choking back my tears, "is to see my loving stepfather again. Every time I saw him on TV, calling me a delinquent punk, I knew ... somehow ... we would be okay. And I know he'll want to reward each and every person in this beautiful city of Los Angeles with a free major appliance from his store. Here's the phone number." The police and reporters were so moved that they passed around the hat and raised money for three tickets on the next plane to New York.

Naruto had to hold in his laughter at that. Percy was starting to learn things from him and he was proud. However, he kept on that sad look while on the inside, he was dying.

After that, Percy said they needed to get back to New York and all the TV reporters, much to Naruto's annoyance, provided them with the money to get airplane tickets.

They knew they had to other choice but to go on an air plane since they did not have the time to travel back by car or train for that matter. However, knowing that Zeus was watching them, Percy had a hard time deciding whether to board the plane or not. Naruto, however, did not care and just boarded the plane like it was no big deal.

While the blond demigod was watching the in flight movie, heard Percy, who was seated behind him, silently freaking out. He sighed and looked to either side of him where Annabeth and Grover were in the same row as him but was separated by two people, a man and a woman. He looked out the window and saw a sight that surprised him "Hey guys look at this." He said pointing to something out of the window. They all looked out of the window including the man and woman that sat between Naruto, Annabeth and Grover.

"Wow you friend seems very happy and eager." the man said. "What do you think sis?" The woman turned to the man and said "I agree brother."

Percy was confused with their conversation as well as the others until they looked out of the window. Outside of the plane window was a large sky blue dragon flying right next to the plane. Percy smiled in understanding.

"Wow Andrew you just couldn't resist could you?" he mumbled to himself but the others heard him. "What are you talking about Percy?" He turned to the three "When Andrew and I were at the Arch Andrew found out that his god parent allows him to transform into dragons. So the dragon you see outside right now is Andrew."

Naruto went to turn and talk to the man and woman to see how they knew but they were gone. "Where'd they go?" "Who?" Grover asked "The man and woman that were here a second ago."

Grover slapped his forehead. "They left since they had more important things to do. One was Aether, the Ancient God of the Upper Air. He is literally the air the Gods breathe on Olympus. Then the woman was Hemera, the Goddess of Day!"

Naruto blinked, along with Percy, who was now listening. "Oh, sweet! I got to meet more gods!" The blond cheered, making Percy smiled at his friend's antics and while Annabeth stared at him, trying to figure him out.

XXX

When they touched down, Andrew had turned back and met up with them at the taxi company. Percy had convinced Annabeth and Grover to back to the Camp Half Blood and let Chiron know what had happened. They protested, and it was hard to let them go after all they had been through, but Percy felt that he had to do the last part of the quest himself, but Naruto and Andrew had to go to Olympus. So they went together. Besides, if things went bad, at least those two would survive to tell Chiron the truth.

So they hopped into a taxi and headed into Manhattan. Thirty minutes, they were through the front doors into the lobby of the Empire State Building

Naruto looked around and whistled, this place had class! "So, how are we supposed to get to Olympus anyway."

Percy shrugged. "I was just going to go up to the front desk and ask to get to the six hundredth floor."

Naruto stared at the water boy for a full minute, no emotion on his face, making Percy nervous. Naruto suddenly smiled. "Eh, sounds good to me. We got no other leads."

As they walked up to the front desk, they must have looked like homeless kids thanks to their ragged looking clothing, but what can you do about that when you are in a hurry. Percy went right up to the guard at the front deck and said, "Six hundredth Floor."

The guard was reading a huge book with a picture of a wizard on the front. It must have been good because it took a while for him to look at them. "No such floor, kiddos."

"I need an audience with Zeus." Percy said with serious face.

He gave them a vacant smile. "Sorry?"

"You heard me."

Seeing as this was not going anywhere, Naruto decided to intervene. "Listen, I can tell you know what we are talking about. I could see the recognition in your eyes when Percy asked to see Zeus, so that means you know very well what we want and you are a horrible liar because you can think of one."

The guard eyed them for a moment, unnerved by that little speech. Finally he sighed and said, "No appointment, no audience, kiddos. Lord Zeus doesn't see anyone unannounced."

"Okay," Andrew said as he decided to intervene "We are here for the council of the gods now if you don't let us in the master bolt will not make it to Zeus in time, and a war might break out between Zeus against Poseidon, Shinigami, Kami and Paladin. Do you want that?"

The guard's face went pale.

"No! No!" He scrambled out of his seat, fumbled around his desk for a key card, then handed it to Andrew. "Insert this in the security slot. Make sure nobody else is in the elevator with you three."

Andrew did as he told him. As soon as the elevator doors closed, he slipped the key into the slot. The card disappeared and a new button appeared on the console, a red one that said 600.

Not hesitating, Naruto slammed his fist on the button and waited…..and waited.

Muzak played. "Raindrops keep falling on my head..."

Andrew put his earplugs in and started listening to Skrillex's Rock 'n' Roll (Will take you to the Mountain) to drown out the annoying elevator music.

By now, still nothing and Naruto was getting really annoyed, but before he could voice his thoughts, there was _ding_ and the door slid open. The site almost gave the boys a heart attack.

They were standing on a narrow stone walkway in the middle of the air. Below them was Manhattan, from the height of an airplane. In front of them, white marble steps wound up the spine of a cloud, into the sky.

They could not believe eyes, but their brains told them it was really there. Naruto peered over the clouds to the city below and whistled. "Now that is a long way down."

Percy turned to Naruto and said, "Try not to piss off anyone here, I don't want to be throw off this place." Naruto just smirked while Andrew laughed at him.

From the top of the clouds rose the decapitated peak of a mountain, its summit covered with snow. Clinging to the mountainside were dozens of multileveled palaces—a city of mansions— all with white-columned porticos, gilded terraces, and bronze braziers glowing with a thousand fires. Roads wound crazily up to the peak, where the largest palace gleamed against the snow. Precariously perched gardens bloomed with olive trees and rosebushes. They could make out an open air market filled with colorful tents, a stone amphitheater built on one side of the mountain, a hippodrome and a coliseum on the other. It was an Ancient Greek city, except it wasn't in ruins. It was new, and clean, and colorful, the way Athens must've looked twenty-five hundred years ago.

Their trip through Olympus was like a daze, like they thought it was a dream. The trio passed some giggling wood nymphs who threw olives at them from their garden. Naruto shocked them by catching them in his mouth. Hawkers in the market offered to sell some ambrosia-on-a-stick which Andrew happily obliged, and a new shield, and a genuine glitter-weave replica of the Golden Fleece, as seen on Hephaestus-TV. Speaking of which, some people wanted Naruto and Percy's autograph for their short time on that show.

The nine muses were tuning their instruments for a concert in the park while a small crowd gathered—satyrs and naiads and a bunch of good-looking teenagers who might've been minor gods and goddesses. Nobody seemed worried about an impending civil war. In fact, everybody seemed in a festive mood. Several of them turned to watch the trio pass, and whispered to themselves.

They climbed the main road, toward the big palace at the peak. It was a reverse copy of the palace in the Underworld. There, everything had been black and bronze. Here, everything glittered white and silver.

Andrew sadly realized Hades must've built his palace to resemble this one. He wasn't welcomed in Olympus except on the winter solstice, so he'd built his own Olympus underground. Despite his odd behavior, the man wasn't a bad guy after the conversation they had. He then smirked at the memory of when he beat him in a game of Shougi. That was fun.

Despite Percy's bad experience with him, he felt a little sorry for the guy. To be banished from this place seemed really unfair. It would make anybody bitter.

Steps led up to a central courtyard. Past that, the throne room. _Room_ really isn't the right word. The place made Grand Central Station look like a broom closet. Massive columns rose to a domed ceiling, which was gilded with moving constellations.

Twelve thrones, built for beings the size of Hades, were arranged in an inverted U, just like the cabins at Camp Half-Blood all of which had gods/goddesses watching their every move. An enormous fire crackled in the central hearth pit.

What shocked them more than anything was Sally Jackson and Chiron sitting not too far from the hearth watching them walk.

The left side of the U is where the goddesses sit in their thrones and the right is where the gods sit. The first on the left side was a beautiful goddess sitting in a platinum throne with a pink cushion on the seat and back with flowers adorning the armrests. The woman next to her had auburn hair gathered in a ponytail with silvery yellow eyes and had a stern and dangerous expression on her face as she studied the boys. She sat in a silver throne that glittered like the night sky. The goddess next to her was dressed in casual clothes. She wore a white blouse and jeans and had stormy grey eyes like Annabeth's. She sat in a simple grey throne that shone in the light with a book resting on one of the armrests and an owl on the other. Next to her sitting in a throne woven of apple tree branches sat a dark haired goddess in green robes.

At the end of the U there were three thrones. The one on the goddesses side was garlanded with pomegranates and flowers and had the images of Peacocks engraved on both sides. In the throne sat a beautiful woman with silver hair braided over one shoulder and a dress that shimmered colors like peacock feathers.

The two at the end: the head throne on the right, and the one to its immediate left. Andrew and Naruto calmly walked toward the two like it was nothing, while Percy was a nervous wreck.

The gods were in giant human form, as Hades had been, but the feeling of looking at them feel like they were they were going to be set on fire. From Ares especially due to his loss to the two brats.

Zeus, the Lord of the Gods, wore a dark blue pinstriped suit. He sat on a simple throne of solid platinum. He had a well-trimmed beard, marbled gray and black like a storm cloud. His face was proud and handsome and grim, his eyes rainy gray. As they got near him, the air crackled and smelled of ozone.

The god sitting next to him was his brother, without a doubt, but he was dressed very differently. He reminded Percy of a beachcomber from Key West. He wore leather sandals, khaki Bermuda shorts, and a Tommy Bahama shirt with coconuts and parrots all over it. His skin was deeply tanned, his hands scarred like an old-time fisherman's. His hair was black, like Percy's. His face had that same brooding look that had always gotten his son branded a rebel. But his eyes, sea green like his son's, were surrounded by sun-crinkles that told me he smiled a lot, too.

His throne was a deep-sea fisherman's chair. It was the simple swiveling kind, with a black leather seat and a built-in holster for a fishing pole. Instead of a pole, the holster held a bronze trident, flickering with green light around the tips.

On Poseidon's left a huge lump of a man with a leg in a steel brace, a misshapen head, and a wild brown beard, fire flickering through his whiskers. He sat in a huge mechanical La-Z-Boy chair covered with bronze and silver gears. Next to the deformed man was a man wearing a business suit. He wasn't paying attention to the approaching demigods as he was checking messages on his phone. He was sitting down in a oversized lawn chair with his feet resting on the foot rest connected to it. On his left there was a man that looked 17 or 18. He has sandy hair and had outdoorsy good looks. He had a bright and playful smile on his face and had shades on. He wore jeans and loafers and a sleeveless T-shirt and had his iPod headphones on as he leaned back in his golden throne. Hades and Persephone sat on simple stone thrones near the hearth where a girl around 9/10 years old was tending the flames.

The remaining two were Dionysus who looked bored as he twirled a grape vine between his fingers as he sat on his Throne which was woven from grape vines as well an Ares who sat in his chrome and leather throne glowering mostly at Percy while he sharpened his knife.

The gods weren't moving or speaking, but there was tension in the air, as if they'd just finished an argument. Meanwhile Sally and Chiron shuffled a bit.

Percy approached the fisherman's throne and knelt at his feet. "Father." he dared not look up.

Zeus spoke. "Should you not address the master of this house first, boy?" Sally and Chiron eyed Percy as he showed some humility and kneeled before the giant Gods. It seemed that Percy was too freaked or overwhelmed to look up.

"Peace, brother," Poseidon finally said. "The boy defers to his father. This is only right. " He pause for a moment while looking at the shinobi "Though, for the shinobi, they aren't bad. I've seen their past which is why I had them go to Sally. I knew she would welcome them with open arms and act as the mother they never had." Sally smiled at the praise she received

"You still claim him then?" Zeus asked, menacingly. "You claim this child whom you sired against our sacred oath?"

"I have admitted my wrongdoing," Poseidon said. "Now I would hear the boys speak." Sally glared at Poseidon for that while Andrew heard Percy gulp at that, but didn't say anything.

"I have spared the them once already," Zeus grumbled. "Daring to fly through my domain ... pah! I should have blasted him out of the sky for his impudence."

"And risk destroying your toy of mass destruction?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow

Zeus' eye twitched at that. "IT IS NOT A TOY!" He boomed.

"No matter." Poseidon said, trying to suppress the urge to laugh while everyone was cracking up at that. "Let us hear my son out, brother."

Zeus grumbled some more. "I shall listen," he decided. "Then I shall make up my mind whether or not to cast these boys down from Olympus. I am already close to doing that to the blond one."

"Perseus," Poseidon said. "Look at me." Percy did as told and was not sure if his father was happy to see him or not since there was no true emotion on the man's face.

"Address Lord Zeus, boy," Poseidon told me. "Tell him your story."

So Percy told Zeus everything, just as it had happened, with Andrew and Naruto explained the other details that Percy had forgotten. Everyone got a kick out of Naruto's description of the fight between Ares and them. Percy was grateful that they were able to fill in the missing parts. He took out the metal cylinder, which began sparking in the Sky God's presence, and laid it at his feet.

There was a long silence, broken only by the crackle of the hearth fire.

Zeus opened his palm. The lightning bolt flew into it. As he closed his fist, the metallic points flared with electricity, until he was holding what looked more like the classic thunderbolt, a twenty-foot javelin of arcing, hissing energy that made the hairs on my scalp rise.

"I sense the boy tells the truth," Zeus muttered. He then turned to Ares and glared. "Now why the hell did you want my bolt! It is most unlike you to do it."

Ares continued sharpening his knife as if he never heard him but they could see that he was sweating.

"He is proud and impulsive," Poseidon said. "It runs in the family."

"Hey" Ares shouted indignantly as everyone chuckled.

"Lord?" Percy asked.

They both said, "Yes?"

"Ares didn't act alone. Someone else—something else— came up with the idea." Percy stated.

Ares grit his teeth "No I wasn't..."

"Yeah, it was like someone used a jutsu that was controlling his actions." Naruto stated cutting him off as the room got quiet again.

"Jutsu?" Zeus asked.

"Yeah, Andrew and I are from the Elemental Countries, not from here." Naruto said.

Zeus sighed heavily but then narrowed his eyes while Poseidon shivered. "Then why are you..."

"ARGGGG" Both Andrew and Naruto screamed out cutting off Zeus as they held their stomachs in pain. The man in the golden chair got up. "They need help!" both the man, Chiron and Sally said as they ran to the two but as soon as they got within a few feet he was blown back as the boys shirts ripped open revealing their seals.

The spiral of ink in the center of Naruto's seal began to converge until it became a sphere of pure black ink which glowed an ominous red color. For Andrew's seal the five kanji for each element in the pentagon cycle glowed their respective color: fire-red, wind-silver, lightning-yellow, earth-brown, and water-blue. The spiral dragon in the center began spinning in amazing speeds making it look like a blur as the center of Andrew's seal glowed the same ominous red color as Naruto's.

In a bright flash of light the red energy shot out of the boys causing both to scream out in pain. Two balls of red energy floated.

The one in front of Naruto morphed into a fox the size of the thrones with 9 swaying tails behind it while the one in front of Andrew morphed into a knight with grey armor and a helm covering his face.

"It was my idea to bring the boys here Zeus." The knight said.

Poseidon smiled. "It's good to see you again Paladin. How are Shinginami and Kami doing?"

"Last time I saw them things were fine. But since I had sealed myself into Andrew all I have seen where his memories. It's quite a boring place in there."

Their conversation was abruptly interrupted when Andrew yelled at him. "Paladin you asshole. You could have warned me dammit." Andrew said as he held his stomach in pain.

"You're a baka. You did that on purpose didn't you Paladin sama?" Kojoro asked as she glared at him as well as Sally.

Paladin tried looking innocent. "Nooo"

"Anyway Paladin, Kojoro you said you brought these two boys here from the Elemental Nations. Why?" Zeus asked curious as well as the rest of the gods/ goddesses in the room including Sally, Chiron and the kids except for Poseidon.

"It was to get them away from home for awhile. They have had harsh treatment from where they live due to Kojoro attacking their village and killing their fathers."

"Hey! It was not my fault it was the asshole Madara. He used the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan on me while I sealed in Kushina-Chan after she gave birth to Naruto." she shouted out when everyone looked at her.

"Is that it?" Zeus asked but Paladin shook his head. "No, Poseidon contacted me about the problems here so it helped reinforce my idea of sending both boys here. Kojoro and I locked away both of their memories of the Elemental Nations and of chakra as well as change their appearances to make them fit in here. After we did that I left both boy in Poseidon's care who then sent them to Sally here which I am thankful for." He said as he bowed to Poseidon and Sally who blushed.

Zeus grunted in understanding and turned to the boys. "Is there anything else you boys would like to add?"

Percy then described his dreams, and the feeling they had on the beach, that momentary breath of evil that had seemed to stop the world, and made Ares back off from killing the two.

"In the dreams," Percy said, "the voice told me to bring the bolt to the Underworld. Ares hinted that he'd been having dreams, too. I think he was being used, just as we were, to start a war."

"No I wasn't you brats!" He said glowering at them but backed off when Kojoro and Paladin focused KI in his direction.

"He enticed us with my mom and then with nightmares to taunt me." Percy said but growl the ending out.

"You are accusing Hades, after all?" Zeus asked.

Hades was about to retort but Percy cut him off. "No. I mean, Lord Zeus, this feeling on the beach was different. It was the same thing I felt when I got close to that pit. That was the entrance to Tartarus, wasn't it? Something powerful and evil is stirring down there ... something even older than the gods."

"We have reason to believe that Kronos set up the entire thing. He probably used one of the demigods at Camp Half Blood to steal both your Bolt and Hades' helm of darkness. When you sent out the other gods Ares probably found the kidnapper and Kronos sent his influence onto Ares and set all of us up. I figured most of this out and talked to the Nereid that Poseidon-sama sent to talk to us in Santa Monica and I explained everything to him when I stayed in the Underworld while Naruto and Percy fought Ares.

All the gods and goddesses began muttering to themselves in Ancient Greek. Then Poseidon decided to lighten the mood by laughing and turning to Naruto. "Nice nickname for that man kid!"

"I like making nickname. I have one for the Hokage who I call Jiji and Jiraiya of the Sannin who I call Ero-Sennin." That made everyone who knew who he was talking about erupt in a fit of laughter, including Zeus.

"Haha, that's great kid. I think I should start calling the old monkey that from now on." Apollo said laughing.

Once everyone calmed down Zeus looked at the boys. His expression softened just a fraction of a degree. "You have done me a service, you three. Few heroes could have accomplished as much."

"We had help, sir," Percy said. "Grover Underwood and Annabeth Chase—"

"To show you my thanks, I shall spare your lives. I do not trust you three. I do not like what your arrival means for the future of Olympus. But for the sake of peace in the family, I shall let you live."

Paladin snorted "I wasn't going to let you kill them even if you tried. I am on par with Chaos now ever since the asshole had me absorb Takhisis' and Gilean's power and essences when we banished her. Sargonnas is now the head of the faction of Darkness, Mishakal is the new head of the faction of Light and Chislev took over as the new head of neutrality. Not only that Kami-Chan and Shinginami-kun wouldn't allow it since Naruto and Andrew have their own prophecies on our dimension.

Zeus paled at upon hearing that. "So that explains why that bitch wasn't here for the last few conferences. Good riddance." Hera said with the other goddesses agreeing with her.

Paladin then turned to the three boys. "You may head back to Camp Half-Blood now. We have some things we must discuss things in private. Naruto, Andrew say your goodbyes to everyone. Once we finish we're sending you guys back."

"Hai Paladin sama" "Hey Paladin can I bring the Ipod with me or does it have to stay here?"

"I don't care just get going before I change my mind."

The boys made their way back into the villages in Olympus.

As they walked back through the city of the gods, conversations stopped. The muses paused their concert. People and satyrs and naiads all turned towards the two, their faces filled with respect and gratitude, and as the duo passed, they knelt, as if the two were some kind of heroes.

**Back in the throne Room**

"So Paladin What is it that you wanted to talk about before we finish this meeting?" Zeus asked.

"It's not that I want to talk, more like have you all understand as to why I have brought them here. That is another reason why I asked you to bring Sally and Chiron here. I am going to show you some of their memories and treatment of the village."

He waved his hand and a large screen faded into existence so that all of those present can see. "Their treatment I have to say is worse than the Holocaust here. I wanted to raze down the village as I watched it all from inside of Andrew.

Suddenly the screen flickered and the images began to play through:

**(I 'm not going to write it all out. If you want to see what happens go to my first story Survivors of the Namikaze Clan)**

They watched the night everything changed for the boys starting with Kojoro attacking the village. After that played through it morphed suddenly changed to one of the Konoha alleys which was nighttime and it was raining.

Suddenly they hear murderous rants coming from the distance, "DIE DEMONS! YOU'RE FINALLY GETTING WHAT YOU DESERVE!"

There were two young boys were running. One was a blonde haired, blue eyed, four year old boy wearing a torn white shirt, and messed up blue cargo shorts. The other was a brown haired, hazel green eyed five year old wearing a navy blue shirt stained red with blood and black cargo shorts. What shocked the all of them was seeing all the cuts and blood that stained them. The two boys were running as fast as their short legs would carry them.

The mob of drunkards got bigger and stated they would kill the demon. Tears streamed down their cheeks. They wanted to escape them. A rock hit the brown haired kids shoulder. "AHH" He screamed for help and in pain, but the hunters just laughed at his misery.

"Andrew come on we gotta hurry before they catch up to us." the blond said as he pulled the brown haired boy up and dragged him along. "Thanks Naruto."

They ran into a side street to lose the mob only to see it was impossible for them to go farther. A huge fence separated him from the other side. And the only gate was closed with a heavy chain and a lock. Fearful they saw the gleeful villagers come nearer. They whimpered in fear.

The civilians took out multiple weapons and repeatedly burned, stabbed, and cut them. Pieces of their flesh laid everywhere. Kunai, needles, shuriken and many other different kinds of weapons were sticking out of them. They looked like they were pinning them to the ground rather than to cause them pain. Blood was everywhere, all over the roads, the body parts...the people. Some of it had been washed away, due to the rain, but it still left stains on the ground. On top was, what looked like, half of Naruto's and Andrew's faces. Both were breathing rapidly as they bled. The crowd cheered saying the demons were dead and Naruto sighed in relief thinking it was over. "Are they all gone?" Andrew barely managed to get out as he coughed up blood. Naruto nodded until he turned his head to see several shadows behind them.

"Die demons!" they heard. They felt several more kunais stab into them. Andrew turned to see several ninjas and an ANBU watch as he bled to death which Naruto noticed as well.

"Help us please," Naruto begged. Several ninjas began stomping on Andrew and Naruto. One ninja made several hand seals and sent a burst of flames at Naruto, burning his body severely. Both boys fainted from the pain and blood loss.

The screen changed again but this time it was in an apartment room.

Even though no one in the room could see it they could definitely tell that both boys were mentally, physically, emotionally tired... a simple look at their faces was enough. Both boys had a rusty kunai in their hands…after that, things had become a blur to everyone. There was blood…lots and lots of blood. They could practically feel the two boys pain, agony, their screams, they couldn't get the constant screams of pain from the two. But whatever wound they inflicted, it healed. Their blood was always there, it never stopped. At some point, they had simply passed out. Suddenly the window broke as a purple haired Kunoichi and the aged Hokage picked them both up and brought them to the hospital as fast as possible.

After that the screen vanished. "Now imagine a treatment like that almost every day of your life worse on your birthday. They were overcharged for everything except ramen. Almost the entire village hates them except for a handful of people who have tried to help them. I brought them here to give them a break from all of it. To get away from the hateful villagers, the assassination attempts. They never had any family except each other throughout their lives. Andrew's mother, dead from childbirth. Both of their fathers killed when Kojoro was placed under a genjutsu and Naruto's mother I had just recently found out is in a medically induced coma for 13 years. This is why I have brought them here. To give them a break from it all to actually let them have some kind of mother figure in their lives."

All was silent except for the silent sobs coming from both Aphrodite and Sally. The men all had grim looks but said nothing.

"I understand Paladin thank you for telling us of this... development. Is that all?"

"Hai"

"Good this meeting is dismissed."

Poseidon had flashed out of the room to bring Chiron and Sally back to Camp-Half Blood to say goodbye to the boys while everyone else flashed out to ponder what they had just witnessed.

**Camp Half-Blood**

One by one, the campers noticed their arrival and begun to gather at the gates, congratulating them on a job well done. They were the first to come back from a quest since Luke.

So, party of sorts was thrown for their return and they were treated like celebrities. According to camp tradition, they wore laurel wreaths to a big feast prepared in our honor, then led a procession down to the bonfire, where they got to burn the burial shrouds their cabins had made for their in their absence.

Annabeth's shroud was so beautiful—gray silk with embroidered owls—Percy told her it seemed a shame not to bury her in it. She punched him and told him to shut up. Naruto chuckled at that, wondering how he would get those two together, but then decided to let them deal with it. He didn't know what to do and it was too much work.

Even though Grover didn't have a cabin or was a demi god, he partied with his kind and forest. Percy's shroud was a joke and Andrew and Naruto could not help but laugh their asses off. He was the son of Poseidon, so he did not have any cabinmates, so the Ares cabin had volunteered to make his shroud. They'd taken an old bedsheet and painted smiley faces with X'ed-out eyes around the border, and the word LOSER painted really big in the middle. Naruto could tell the water boy had fun burning that.

Naruto's and Andrew's was awesome despite the fact they aren't going to be there long. The Athena and Hephaestus cabins made theirs. They had a red, black, and orange shroud that had the pictures of Paladin in his dragon form and Kojoro in her Kitsune form symbol in the middle with the kanji of the five elements surrounding the images in a pentagon formation. They thanked them and they just smiled saying it was great meeting and hanging out with them making them smile.

As Apollo's cabin led the sing-along and passed out s'mores, Percy was surrounded by his old Hermes cabinmates, Annabeth's friends from Athena and Grover's satyr buddies, who were admiring the brand-new searcher's license he'd received from the Council of Cloven Elders. The council had called Grover's performance on the quest "Brave to the point of indigestion. Horns and-whiskers above anything we have seen in the past."

The only ones not in a party mood were Clarisse and her cabinmates, whose poisonous looks told Percy they'd never forgive Percy for disgracing their dad. However, it was odd that they forgave Naruto for that, since it seemed they were pissed at him for a bit before they got over it, seeing they already like the blond. And after a bit, Naruto invited them over to party with him, with Clarisse being the first to join him.

So life went on. Percy was happy in his cabin where is was peaceful until Andrew and Naruto told everyone that they were returning to their world.

"What but why?"

"We have people who care for us back home we need to get back to but don't worry maybe we can visit again." Naruto said as he got his stuff together.

"I'm going to miss you Andrew. It was fun making all those weapons with you." Charles Beckondorf said as they shook hands.

"Thanks for helping with them. I'm sure the guys at home will appreciate them. I got a little something for you to so hold out both of your wrists. Charles complied and Andrew put the same seals he put on Bianca on him. He explained what they did and Charles thanked him.

They then walked over to Grover, Percy, Annabeth and Sally who Chiron let in camp to say goodbye to the boys.

"Well I guess this is it. It's been nice hanging with you guys but it's time for us to go." They shook hands with Grover and Percy and hugged Sally and Annabeth.

"Oh that reminds me." Andrew said as he walked back to Percy and held out his hand. "Here"

Percy was confused but held out his hand and Andrew dropped a necklace with the leaf village symbol on it. "What's this for?"

Andrew lifted up a similar necklace from around his neck and revealed it to them. It's a communication device. I asked Paladin to help me make it so we can talk across dimensions telepathically. '_Like this. Now if you guys need help later on just think of me and start talking and I'll be able to hear you as long as we both have these necklaces on.'"_

Percy grinned and put it around his neck. "Thanks."

Paladin then appeared. "It's time."

He waved his hand in the air and a black/purple portal appeared in the air in front of them. Both boys waved. "Thanks for everything guys. Hope to see you guys again!" Naruto said before jumping in the portal with Andrew following behind him as the portal disappeared.

Time went on regularly as if Andrew and Naruto didn't exist. On the Fourth of July, the whole camp gathered at the beach for a fireworks display by cabin nine. Being Hephaestus's kids, they weren't going to settle for a few lame red-white-and-blue explosions. They'd anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles. According to Annabeth, who'd seen the show before, the blasts would be sequenced so tightly they'd look like frames of animation across the sky. The finale was supposed to be a couple of hundred-foot-tall Spartan warriors who would crackle to life above the ocean, fight a battle, then explode into a million colors.

As the two demi gods were spreading a picnic blanket, Grover showed up to tell them good-bye. He was dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt and sneakers, but in the last few weeks he'd started to look older, almost high-school age. His goatee had gotten thicker. He'd put on weight. His horns had grown at least an inch, so he now had to wear his rasta cap all the time to pass as human.

"I'm off," he said. "I just came to say ... well, you know."

While Annebeth gave him a hug "First Andrew and Naruto, now you. Why do you all want to leave us?" Annabeth said jokingly.

Grover sighed, "Sorry, but I wanna find Pan as soon as possible."

"So where are you heading?" Percy asked as he took shook the goat boy's hand.

"Kind of a secret," he said, looking embarrassed. "I wish you could come with me, guys, but humans and Pan ..."

"We understand," Annabeth said. "You got enough tin cans for the trip?"

"Yeah."

"And you remembered your reed pipes?"

"Jeez, Annabeth," he grumbled. "You're like an old mama goat." But he didn't really sound annoyed.

He gripped his walking stick and slung a backpack over his shoulder. He looked like any hitchhiker you might see on an American highway—nothing like the little runty boy Percy used to defend from bullies at Yancy Academy.

"Well," he said, "wish me luck."

He gave Annabeth another hug. He clapped Percy on the shoulder, then headed back through the dunes.

Fireworks exploded to life overhead: Hercules killing the Nemean lion, Artemis chasing the boar, George Washington (who, by the way, was a son of Athena) crossing the Delaware, and many others.

"Hey, Grover," Percy called.

He turned at the edge of the woods.

"Wherever you're going—I hope they make good enchiladas."

Grover grinned, and then he was gone, the trees closing around him.

"We'll see him again," Annabeth said.

July passed.

Percy spent his days devising new strategies for capture-the-flag and making alliances with the other cabins to keep the banner out of Ares's hands.

XXX

The day of the end of summer for camp came around and Percy found a letter on his bed. He knew that Mr. D filled it out because even though the god like him, he still miss spelled his name.

Dear_ Peter Johnson_ ,

If you intend to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, you must inform the Big House

by noon today. If you do not announce your intentions, we will assume you have vacated

your cabin or died a horrible death. Cleaning harpies will begin work at sundown. They will

be authorized to eat any unregistered campers. All personal articles left behind will be

incinerated in the lava pit.

Have a nice day!

Mr. D (Dionysus)

Camp Director, Olympian Council #12

Percy decided to wait till later to pack and decided to go to the sword fighters arena and saw Luke thought the of the same idea as he whaled on dummies with a new sword.

Percy watched as Luke slashed off dummy heads and stabbing them through the gut. His expression was intense as he disemboweled the whole row of dummies, hacking off limbs reducing them to a pile of straw and armor.

He saw Percy as he swung again and stopped. "Percy hey, I was just doing some last minute practice."

Percy laughed. "Those dummies won't be bothering anyone anymore."

They both shared a laugh. When Percy stopped he finally noticed Luke's sword. It's blade was made of two different kinds of metal. One half was celestial bronze, the other was tempered steel.

Luke noticed him looking at the sword. "Oh so I see you noticed my new sword. I call it Backbiter because one side is celestial bronze and the other is tempered steel. Works on immortals and mortals both."

"I didn't know they could make weapons like that." Percy said apprehensively.

"_They _probably can't. It's one of a kind." he said as he gave Percy a small smile as he slid it into it's scabbard.

"I was actually going to go look for you after I was done. I wanted to see if you wanted to into the woods one more time to fight something with me before I go home."

Percy hesitated. "You think it's a good idea? I mean-"

"Aw come on" he said as he grabbed a six pack of cokes from his duffel bag "Drinks are on me."

Percy caved and they walked through the woods and looked around for some monsters to fight but found none. They found a shady spot by the creek near the spot where Percy was claimed. They sat on a big rock and drank their cokes watching the sunlight in the woods.

"You miss being on a quest?" Luke asked curiously.

"Yeah actually I do now that I think about it. How bout you?"

A shadow fell over his face when Percy asked that. "I've lived here year round since I was fourteen. Ever since Thalia... well you get the idea. I have constantly trained never getting the chance to be a normal teenager in the real world. They then threw me one quest and when I came back they treated it like it was a onetime thing."

He then threw his coke can and threw it into the creek surprising Percy.

"Screw the laurel wreaths. There's no way in hell I'm going to end up like those dusty trophies in the attic."

He then snapped his fingers and a small fire burned a hole in the ground by Percy' feet as a small black scorpion the size of a fist crawled out of it. Percy went for his pen until Luke called out "I wouldn't do that. Pit scorpions can jump up to fifteen feet and its stinger can pierce through your clothes. You'd be dead in less than a minute."

"Luke w-" then it hit him like a ton of bricks. The last line of the prophecy:_ You will be betrayed by one who calls you friend._

He stood up as the scorpion kept its eyes on Percy. "The darkness is gathering, the monsters are growing stronger. Don't you realize how useless it is? Being pawns to the gods. They should've been overthrown thousands of years ago."

"What about your father?" Percy asked trying to stall time meanwhile he was talking to Andrew telepathically. _'Andrew Luke is betraying us for Kronos. I'm trapped and I can't fight back.' 'Don't worry. Stall him for as long as you can I'll get Paladin to talk to Chiron immediately.' 'Thanks'_

He laughed. "So? You think that's going to make me love them? Don't make me laugh. The Western Civilization is killing the world and the only way to stop it is to burn it to the ground and to start anew."

"That's plain crazy. Your more delusional than Ares."

Luke glared at him. "Ares is a fool. He never knew who he was serving. Unfortunately if I had the time I'd explain but you won't live long enough for me to tell you."

The scorpion was already on his leg slowly inching towards him. "So Andrew and Naruto were right then."

Luke was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Andrew told me his thoughts on you ever since the quest. He knew you were elated when I said I was wearing the shoes. I lied to you obviously since I am here now. Not only that during the summer solstice Andrew and Paladin explained what must've really happened, You were the one who stole the master bolt and the helm of Darkness. Which means you are working for Kronos. He has been speaking to you in your dreams."

"He has spoken to you as well. You should've listened. After my quest I had started to dream of Kronos. He convinced me steal something that no hero had the courage to take. During the winter solstice I managed to steal both the helm and the bolt."

The scorpion was on his knee now staring at him waiting for the command to strike.

"Yeah I figured as much. During the meeting we came to the same conclusion but the problem was Ares didn't say who it was that stole the items."

"Yes that is correct Kronos made him forget that it was me who stole the items. When he caught me I told him of the idea of starting a great war and h agreed. During our conversation Kronos managed to spread his influence over Ares. After all of that he told me new heroes were coming to Camp Half-Blood that could be tricked into taking the items to him into Tartarus."

"So it was you who summoned the hellhounds during capture the flag that night."

"Yes. We had to make Chiron believe camp wasn't safe for any of you but when Andrew and Naruto were claimed Kronos started to doubt the plan but continued with it. Now if you just wore the shoes things would have gone smoothly but you gave them to Grover which made the curse confused. You should've died in Tartarus. But I think I'll let my little friend deal with you.

The scorpion lunged. Suddenly out of nowhere an arrow shot it out of the air before it could sting Percy. "So it was all true" Chiron said as he and Annabeth came out from behind a tree.

"Dammit" he gritted his teeth as he slashed his sword in an arc as he disappeared.

"Thanks for coming guys. For a second I didn't think Andrew reached you in time."

"We got here a couple of minutes ago. We were listening to everything he said until the Pit scorpion attacked." Annabeth said with a sad look on her face.

He sighed. "It looks like he is rising again. It seems we must prepare for many troubles ahead of us kids. We may need Andrew and Naruto again if things get worse. Keep your eyes open. We won't know when he'll strike again."


End file.
